City set for three more days of rains and cold winds

City set for three more days of rains and cold winds

Dense cloud cover and cold winds blowing from the south will further dip mercury levels in Bangalore

Bosky Khanna. Bangalore



It's time to pull out your warm clothes. The Indian Meteorological Department predicts that the mercury is set to dip over the next two to three days, as heavy rains are likely over parts of south interior and coastal Karnataka.
Speaking to DNA, IMD-Bangalore director B Puttanna said that there is a low pressure area west of the Mangalore coast, over the east-central Arabian Sea, which is likely to bring heavy rainfall and thundershowers to south interior and coastal Karnataka, including Bangalore. Cool winds are blowing from the southern direction, at a height of 5.8 km above sea level, leading to the formation of a dense cloud cover.
Puttanna added that while the clouds will block out sun's rays, radiation from the earth's surface too will be blocked. These phenomena are part of the north east monsoon, and will continue for about three days.
Temperature recorded up to 5.30pm in the city showed a maximum of 28.1 degree Celsius and a minimum of 18.8 degree Celsius. Rainfall recorded stood at 0.5mm. The IMD office at the HAL airport recorded a maximum of 27.9 degree Celsius and minimum of 17.1 degree Celsius, with traces of rainfall

It’s Kadlekai Parishe time again

It’s Kadlekai Parishe time again
Bangalore: Nov 16, DH News Service

A festive spirit marked the launch of the traditional Kadlekai Parishe here on Monday.

Thousands of people flocked to Basavanagudi to witness the grand festival that is held every year to mark the first groundnut harvest.

Farmers from across the State and from neighbouring states came here to sell their produce in front of the Bull Temple.

Inaugurated by V Krishna Iyer, former Lok Sabha MP, the event was attended by local MLA Ravi Subramanaya and other dignitaries. “While the City is known world over for its IT revolution, the Kadlekai Parishe is one of the long-standing traditions that has survived time,” said Iyer.

The former MP also hailed the occasion as unique and a most appreciative tradition that had brought people from all across the country to witness it. The local MLA, Ravi Subramanaya appreciating the yearly affair said: “It shows the survival of the long standing traditions that are still alive in the City,” he said.

While the harvest has been good, prices of groundnut has increased. Last year a litre of groundnut was priced at Rs 15, this year it is priced at Rs 20 per litre. However, till Sunday the groundnuts were sold for Rs 13 or Rs 14 per litre. The festival is scheduled to continue for the next two days.

Fresh mounds of groundnuts dotted the footpaths and bylanes of Basavanagudi with traders trying hard to sell their produce.

The Basava Temple was packed with people offering the first harvest of the season on the auspicious day. Amusement rides and eateries were opened for children and grown-ups giving a much needed relaxed feel on a weekday in Bangalore.

Honey, they shrunk my footpath

Honey, they shrunk my footpath

Chitra V. Ramani
A study has found that barely 30 per cent of the roads had footpaths
BANGALORE: Uneven, narrow, poorly designed, and full of obstructions… it appears that there is no place for pedestrians even on footpaths in the city.

On Infantry Road, for instance, the footpath is overrun by shops to display furniture, while on Commercial Street closely parked vehicles make it inaccessible for pedestrians.

Those on Gandhi Bazaar and Malleswaram 8th Cross are often occupied by street vendors while on Old Post Office Road, the pedestrian underpass entrance has been constructed right on the footpath itself.

As for pedestrians who wish to go towards Nrupatunga Road from the Ambedkar Veedhi (M.S. Building), there is no footpath at all.

Poor priority
A study on traffic and transportation policies and strategies in 30 cities, including Bangalore, taken up under the National Urban Transport Policy 2006, found that facilities for pedestrians were almost nil.

The study found that in most Indian cities, barely 30 per cent of the roads had footpaths.

The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has, in its draft guidelines for pedestrian movement, stressed on the need for a well-designed footpath/ sidewalk that is paved and is of sufficient width to handle the capacity of the expected load.

The guidelines state that footpaths should be built and maintained in all urban areas and are needed on both sides of all streets.

First casualties
K. Nagarajan of Hasiru Usiru, who has studied footpaths in the city, observed that pedestrian safety was not a priority for civic authorities.

“Many problems dog footpaths. For one, they aren’t paved, and are now being concretised, leaving no breathing space for trees. At some points, they are too high, making it hard for the elderly. And, when the roads are widened, footpaths are the first casualties,” he said.

The Indian Roads Congress guidelines stipulate that the minimum width of a footpath should not be less than 1.5 metres. The width should depend on pedestrian traffic, varying between 1.5 meters and a maximum of 4 metres.

Suhas Kulhalli, an activist who has prepared “Reference Guide for Urban Road Design”, said street furniture such as electrical poles, lamp posts, pole-mounted transformers and bus shelters, which often obstruct the movement of pedestrians, should be placed at the edge and not arbitrarily on the footpath.

“Footpaths should be at a slightly elevated height to give protection to pedestrians, prevent vehicles coming over to the footpath and help better segregation,” he said.

However, the civic authorities lack perspective and there is no attention to detail to make footpaths user-friendly, he added. “Ideally, when a road is being developed itself, urban planners must include pedestrian infrastructure,” he said.

BBMP Commissioner Bharatlal Meena, while admitting there is no budget allocation for improvement of pedestrian infrastructure, claimed that the zonal engineers had been directed to ensure that footpaths were free of obstructions, encroachments, and are paved.

He said that part of the road development funds is used to construct footpaths. The public may call the BBMP control room to complain about uneven footpaths, he added.

Two-way traffic restored on Hosur Road

Two-way traffic restored on Hosur Road

Staff Reporter
Bangalore: The city traffic police have restored two-way traffic on Hosur Road between the Sarjapur Road Junction and the Madivala police station.

From Tuesday, all light motor vehicles coming from Forum Mall can go straight towards the Hosur Road flyover. Buses and other heavy vehicles have to take a diversion at the Sarjapur Road Junction and rejoin Hosur Road via St. John’s Hospital and the Madivala market.

There will be no change in the flow of traffic approaching the city from the Hosur Road flyover.

Miles to go before we walk the talk

Miles to go before we walk the talk

Deepa Kurup
Pedestrians do not figure at all in recent road plans drawn up for the city
— PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN

LEAP OF FAITH?: With crumbling footpaths that are increasingly squeezed, Bangalore’s walkability factor rates poorly.
BANGALORE: What does it mean to be a pedestrian in Bangalore? If you are among the 4,38,570 people who visit K.R. Market or use it as a transit point every day, it means having to weave your way through a moving wall of buses, vehicles, cyclists, vendors and fellow pedestrians, hoping to emerge unscathed in body and soul.

While one pedestrian subway has been under construction for over two years now, the older one is reeking, unhygienic and largely unusable.

According to the Mobility Indicator 2008 report, prepared by the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT), during peak hours an average of 48,000 people use this central area as a transit point, and a sizeable portion of them are non-motorists.

Forgotten pedestrians
In this city of great inequalities, travelling on foot is actually a great leveller, whether you are from D.J. Halli or Palace Orchards. For instance, at K.R. Circle and the Windsor Sheraton roundabouts, pedestrians wait endlessly for motorists to “Yield”, as the green signage decrees.

Near the Cantonment Railway Station, an array of three underpasses separates you from northern Bangalore, and you jostle for space with high-speed motorists in these precariously narrow spaces. These are but a few examples of apathy towards pedestrians in a city that has over 40,000 junctions, 192 one-ways and, most dangerous of all, signal-free roads.

Ask National Cadet Corps traffic volunteer Prashant Puttaiah who helps Christ University students cross Hosur Road to board the bus home. “Without our help, it will take them at least 15-20 minutes to cross this road. Speeding vehicles descending the flyover and choked roads make it truly dangerous,” he says.

And as for the much-celebrated idea of doing away with traffic intersections, software engineer Joseph P., employed at one of the large IT offices located on the six-lane Intermediate Ring Road (Koramangala-Indiranagar), says the signal-free road leaves him with two options: he can either walk about 3 km to the next signal, or sprint across the street as vehicles zip past at record speeds.

Sample this. Police records reveal that in 2008, 486 pedestrians died on Bangalore’s roads — accounting for 60 per cent of road deaths — and 1,367 were injured. A NIMHANS study (2008) says that on an average 550 pedestrians are killed, more than 10,000 injured and about 50,000 suffer minor injuries every year.

But pedestrians do not figure in recent road plans drawn up by the authorities. Be it magic boxes, flyovers or grade separators, urban planning is motorist-centric, laments Vinay Sreenivasa, researcher and member of Hasiru Usiru, an umbrella network for environmentalists.

“It is common knowledge that skywalks and pedestrian underpasses are seldom used. Then why do planners harp on these very solutions?” he asks. Moreover, these schemes are exclusionary, as they do not take into account persons with disability, senior citizens and even children.

The DULT draft pedestrian policy (2008) observes that neither the Bangalore Development Authority revised master plan nor interim plans consider non-motorists.

The Rs. 46,944-crore investments in Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Study (CTTS), over 15 years, focus solely on building roads. Nearly 70 per cent of the outlay is for public transport; the pedestrian has to settle for just 0.6 per cent of this pie.

Even here, footpaths, key to improving walkability, receive little attention. Newly widened roads have narrow footpaths, ranging from 0.3 m to 0.6 m, as against 1.5 m mandated by Indian Road Congress.

Further, tree-lined avenues have morphed into concrete jungles, failing to motivate people to walk even short distances.

DuLT Managing Director Mohammed Mohsin concedes that pedestrians have indeed been ignored. “We will frame new guidelines for pedestrians to undo this damage. It is also important to get people to use existing skywalks and subways, particularly in ‘signal-free’ corridors,” he says.

Heated debate
The validity of a “signal-free” road has stirred heated debate. For, in its first month, the signal-free road to Bengaluru International Airport recorded 17 deaths and 34 casualties. But it would appear that this has not changed the mindset of planners.

Pilferage eating into BMTC’s revenue, reputation

Pilferage eating into BMTC’s revenue, reputation



Raghavendra RFirst Published : 16 Nov 2009 06:39:08 AM ISTLast Updated : 16 Nov 2009 07:42:51 AM IST
BANGALORE: If the total number of cases booked against the conductors and driverscum- conductors for pilferage and the pilferage amount between April and October 2009 by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is any indication, it seems the corruption in ticketing system in the BMTC has taken its toll.
Between April and October 2009, a total of 36,661 cases were booked against the conductors and driverscum- conductors and the pilferage money amounts to Rs 15,29,481. On an average, about 175 cases are booked every day by the BMTC’s Line Checking Section (LCS).
Sources in the BMTC told Express that out of 73,000 trips operated daily by BMTC, a mere 1.32 per cent of trips are checked by the LCS and the rest goes unchecked.
“Last year itself, 25 conductors and drivers-cum-conductors were dismissed from service for involving in pilferage,” the sources said.
The LCS has 71 personnel and comprises traffic inspectors and assistant traffic inspectors, which works in 25 batches in five shifts per day. However, the sanctioned strength for the LCS is 160 personnel, which means the section is short of 89 personnel.
The sources said that the objective of line checking is to create awareness among the travelling public to buy ticket and travel, preventive checking to contain the pilferage in the traffic revenue by the conductors and finally to weed out highly pilfer-prone conductors.
“The conductors are given enough opportunity to correct themselves,” the sources said It was informed that the inquiring authority will hold the proceedings and also go through the conductor’s past history of the offences committed.
“The conductor will be kept under suspension for six months until the proceedings get completed. After the inquiry is over and if charges are proved, a show-cause notice is issued seeking his explanation. Before dismissing the conductor from service, all the parameters are looked into by the inquiring authority,” the sources said The conductor is dismissed from service he is an habitual offender or is repeatedly involved in the red mark cases and if the charges are serious.
They also said that a report is sought from the concerned depot managers about the conductor’s ticket revenue target per day. “If the ticket revenue is less regularly than the set target by a particular conductor, that too on a busy route with more passengers or heavy rush, that line is closely monitored and checked,” the sources said.
Every conductor and driver-cumconductor has to declare personal cash to the depot manager while coming to duty. “They are allowed to carry up to Rs 50. If they want to carry more than that, it has to be certified in the depot by the traffic inspector that will entitle them to carry up to Rs 500,” they said.
Cases will be slapped on them if the cash they have and the fare collected from passengers (as per tickets sold) do not tally at the time of line checking.
Pilferage are of different types: like collecting ticket fare and not issuing the ticket to the passenger, re-issue of tickets and not returning the change to the passengers. Also, following an increase in night operations by the BMTC recently, early morning and late night services are also checked daily, the sources said.
Those dismissed are sometimes reinstated, if they move labour court and the cases are decided in their favour.
Some conductors take corrective measures in the discharge of their duties, after re-instatement.

The great K R Puram road trap

The great K R Puram road trap



Sharan PoovannaFirst Published : 16 Nov 2009 06:50:14 AM ISTLast Updated : 16 Nov 2009 07:42:39 AM IST
BANGALORE: Picture this: three flyovers within a distance of 1 km. A railway station in the vicinity.
Bangalore’s own Hanging bridge. Huge construction zones and traffic that is bumper to bumper almost any time of the day.
For people commuting to and through K R Puram, the Hanging bridge which took four years to build and the flyovers surrounding it have failed to make travelling easy.
The traffic projections on which the bridge and the flyovers were built seem miscalculated as a majority of the vehicles take the road beside the cable bridge towards more industrial areas (ITPL).
You have to negotiate three interjecting roads, a few dodgy manoeuvres to get to the lane of choice and then finally to the road of your choice.
The Problem The four-lane road that leads to ITPL, Kolar and Marathalli from NGEF starts well, but the party ends as soon as you sink into cruise mode. Four lanes from either side converge under one railway underpass. This little space has to accommodate vehicles from both sides, from and towards the NGEF signal.
Go past this and the stream of vehicles from the Outer Ring Road join you at a crisiscross junction. Vehicles coming from Outer Ring Road and wanting to get on the Hanging Bridge have to cut through vehicles going beside the flyover towards ITPL and Marathalli.
Amidst all this there are pedestrians trying to cross the road, most of them forsaking the zebra crossing for other convenient but dangerous points.
The traffic from the other side is no better with vehicles coming from ITPL having to drive through the flow of traffic coming down the bridge towards NGEF.
A bus stop that is just before the crossing, expects its drivers to cut a 45 degree angle to get to the other side to the road that leads to Outer Ring Road.
Also, particularly dangerous is a bus stop at the beginning of the cable bridge towards Kolar, buses just stop anywhere around it than on the designated bus bay.
Faulty solutions? A speed breaker that has been built at the point of the criss-cross section of the Outer Ring Road and the road from NGEF to Kolar and ITPL has not proved to be effective.
A pedestrian crossing has been made, but has to be manned by a policeman at all hours, something not seen very often.
Both have failed to make the commute safer or faster.
New plans to the rescue The transport ministry has proposed plans to spend nearly Rs 2,500 crore to make many city roads signal free and has identified 100 junctions in the city.
The ministry has plans to make railway under passes and over bridges at the cost of Rs 355 crore.
Pedestrians are a vulnerable section as there are not too many safe points for them to cross over.
The ministry has also set aside Rs 800 crores for construction of skywalks within BBMP limits. The effectiveness of skywalks remain questionable with pedestrians not willing to do the climbing.
However, under the scheme, the ministry has proposed skywalks with escalators to make it more appealing fop pedestrian.

Palike moots tree parks in five forest zones

Palike moots tree parks in five forest zones
Bangalore: Nov 16, DH News Service

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which has been caught in the eye of a storm over tree felling and road widening in Bangalore, has now found a novel way to circumvent the whirlwind.

The Palike has now mooted tree parks in its five forest zones, to provide more oxygen cover for the City.

According to this plan, the BBMP will identify a minimum of one acre of land for their project on the outskirts of the City to protect the fast vanishing green cover in Bangalore.

“While the plan is in the preliminary stage, we are looking at the project to supplement our roadside planting to substitute the loss of green cover in the City,” informed a BBMP official.
The Palike believes the Tree Parks in the City will help them curtail the spiralling budget meant for maintenance and security of the saplings planted in the middle of roads across the City.

Traffic congestion

“We will be initiating the Tree Parks in areas where there is congestion of traffic to increase the lung space. Besides this, we will be fencing them with herbal or medicinal saplings for future use,” informed the official.

BBMP is currently in the process of identifying the land and intends to finalise it within the next week. It also intends to involve the local public in identifying the areas and in the future maintenance of these parks.

“It will be a continuous process and will involve the public right from the beginning to the final stage of creating the park,” said the official.

On whether the tree parks will interfere in the current developmental projects and the future plans for Bangalore City, the BBMP officials have said that none of it will affect the project.

Palike officials were of the view that the Horticulture Department plants needed longer gestation period and maintenance.

However, they declined to comment on the quality of these saplings.

Nobody goes hungry

Nobody goes hungry
Akshaya Patra’s Story Is Truly Inspirational
Deepa Bhasthi | TNN

Bangalore: When Iskcon sent an email to donors abroad, seeking help for their successful Akshaya Patra programme with details of how many children the scheme was covering every day, they are supposed to have received a reply, asking to reconfirm the 1-million number. It could not be that high, was the doubt. The missionaries who pioneered the model and made it the success it is, had to reaffirm that they were indeed feeding over a million children every single day.
At last count, Akshaya Patra was helping 11,86,206 children all over the country, apart from senior citizens, expectant and nursing mothers, and jail inmates in Bangalore. Chanchalapathi Dasa, vice-chairman of Akshaya Patra Foundation, tells The Times of India that they have been getting invitations to start a kitchen from countries like Kenya, Cambodia, Indonesia, Uganda and others. “But the first priority is India, and to fulfil invitations from within the country,” he says.
The project, which started with five schools nine years ago, has today become a Harvard Business School study, received appreciation from US President Barack Obama, and is going the corporate way with business transformation exercises.
CORPORATE TOUCH
Besides adopting mechanization and best practices for standardization, the foundation is planning a process audit of its kitchens. Talks are also on with a food certification company to conduct hygiene audit of its kitchens all over the country, every month. A social audit by donors and staff of the temple is also being planned, starting soon.
Also, Dasa said talks were on to instal GPS systems in each of their 275 vehicles to monitor distribution of food. Expansion plans are also on in Rajasthan and a new kitchen in Guwahati by January 2010, starting with 50,000 kids. Opening a decentralized kitchen in Anand, Gujarat, where women from nearby villages would be involved in the cooking process, is also in the early-planning stages.
Bangalore has a second-generation kitchen in Vasantha Vallabha Nagar, off Kanakapura Road, highly mechanized and capable of producing food for over a lakh children, jail inmates and senior citizens. Dasa said a third-generation kitchen with a spiral conveyor is also being designed.
The Akshaya Patra programme is today partly working under state government funding.
The government gives the foundation Rs 1.80 per child in Class 1-7 and Rs 2.20 per child in Class 8-10. BBMP, for children in its schools, contributes Rs 4.50 per child. Donations from the Bangalore temple alone support six kitchens across the country. The programme aims to feed 50 lakh children by 2020.
A VISIT TO FOOD FACTORY
In the dead of the night, a group of 250 people walk into a factory and begin a process that will take them many hours of hard labour. Cleaning, sterilizing, lifting heavy things, mixing, pouring, transporting... Cooking here is nothing short of industrial work. At the Vasanth Vallabha Nagar kitchen of Akshaya Patra Foundation, the process of cooking for over 1 lakh children and other beneficiaries begins by 3 am. Preparations start much earlier.
The process of cooking in the gravity flow kitchen works like a business flow chart in itself. The silos full of tons of rice and dal are on the top floor. Rice, which has even nuts and bolts, is cleaned in the hoppers. It flows down to the pre-production level where it is washed and to the next floor where production takes place. The rice falls down into boxes for packing in the next level.
There are silos for corporation rice and government rice; huge, cold rooms to store cut vegetables and a downward system, from boiling the rice to mixing vegetables in the sambar. A sambar channel flows the curry into boxes. The seasoning pan alone is large enough to make food for a small party.
There are 21 vehicles that transport the food over a 60-km radius. The tracking system is akin to Mumbai’s famed dabbawallas — the staff can track every batch, every tin of food that is packed. After the food is sent, the staff does not rest too easy. Soon, the empty vessels will come in. Cleaning has to be done, cutting... the process starts again. TNN
Menu for schools
3 days of the week: Rice, sambar with vegetables, fresh curd 1 day of the week: Rice, sambar and rasam 1 day of the week: Special rice, raita, a sweet Saturdays: Special rice, sweet
DAILY REQUIREMENTS (AVERAGE)
7 tons of government rice 1.5 tons of corporation rice 3.5 tons of vegetables

Soon, ‘Big Circle’ buses on Outer Ring Roads

Soon, ‘Big Circle’ buses on Outer Ring Roads
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The BMTC will phase out normal buses on Outer Ring Roads, replacing them with special coloured-scheme ones, similar to the Big10 series. This, as part of the ‘Big Circle’ initiative, which is another exercise of branding its services.
Chief traffic manager K S Vishwanath said the Big Circle buses — around 200 of them — will replace those plying on ORRs now (routes 500, 500A). They will be fitted with GPS to track their route and maintain timings.
They’ll be different from the Big10 buses that continue to
run on premeditated routes along the city’s outer fringes. There are 140 Big10 buses plying at present.
BMTC has undertaken a branding exercise for all its services and introducing various types of buses for designated routes.
Officials said the colour schemes are mainly for easy identification of services and the routes that they will take. Apart from Big Circle, BMTC boasts of other catered services: Atal Sarige for the working class, plying between semi-urban areas and the city; Vajra buses (Volvos) — over 100 Vayu Vajras ply between various parts of the city and Bengaluru International Airport (BIA); Suvarna buses, Pushpaks and others.
This apart, there are special services like women’s special, hospital service and mall service.

This B’lore locality is safe with hired guards

This B’lore locality is safe with hired guards
— Aditi Gaitonde
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: If you still feel insecure in the city, fend for yourself. Keeping watch on the neighbourhood at 44th Cross 7th Main Jayanagar 5th Block are hired common security guards. And it has been a theft-free area for 50-odd houses, for 15 years now. In 1994, residents of 44th Cross complained of a spate of thefts, like break-ins, stolen manhole lids and steel water pipes. The 44th Cross Residents’ Welfare Association was formed to solve the problem. The solution was simple: hire security.
“We get a sense of satisfaction... There has not been a single robbery on our street since 1994, after we decided to go in for our own security,” says B Bhaskar, a local resident. If you are a stranger in the area, you are viewed with suspicion. The guards question all non-residents. Another prime reason to employ guards was to keep salesmen without ID cards at bay. Says Sharada Muthanna: “More than security, we are buying peace of mind. Mothers now send their children out to play in the street, without worrying too much. Women can also go on walks and feel safe.”
They have built a shelter at both ends of the road for the guards. The two pairs of guards work in day/night shifts, keeping a close eye on the road. The Association collects Rs 300 from every house and Rs 250 per flat in apartment buildings.
Recently, the core members of the association — K S Krishnamurthy, K A Muthanna and T P Subramanian — successfully got Bescom to instal more streetlights. With bright lights and two guards, no one dares to mess with this street.
Inspired by their neighbours, residents of 6th main on 5th Block and 10th A Main on 4th Block, Jayanagar, have also adopted this security measure.

City-Mysore line to be doubled in 2 years

City-Mysore line to be doubled in 2 years

November 16th, 2009
By Our Correspondent



Srirangapatna, Nov. 15: The saturated Bengaluru-Mysore rail line will be free from heavy traffic in two years, minister of state for railways K.H. Muniyappa said on Sunday.
Mr Muniyappa who laid the foundation stone for two railway bridges on the banks of Cauvery at Srirangapatna, admitted the Bengaluru-Mysore rail line doubling is long overdue. With the state government extending support, he was confident the Rs 497 crore project would be completed in the stipulated time.
The two bridges— one a Rs 22 crore Steel Bow String Arch Bridge of 8 spans for Cauvery (North) and a Rs 18 crore 7 spansbridgefor Cauvery (South) will be built along with 11 other major bridges and 62 minor bridges along the section.
Doubling between Bengaluru and Ramanagaram (45 km) has already been completed. The portion between Ramanagaram and Mysore (around 94 km) will be taken up on cost-sharing basis between the state and the railways.
The minister who rode on a special train upto Srirangapatna, stopped at Ramnagaram, Chennapatna, Maddur and Mandya stations to conduct inspections and received memorandums from local leaders.

BBMP will be ours: Ashok

BBMP will be ours: Ashok

November 16th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Tags: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike ((BBMP)., R. Ashok


Bengaluru, Nov. 15: Transport minister, R. Ashok who is considered the crisis manager of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurapa by many, is not too worried about the recent rumblings in the party and is confident the BJP will emerge as the single largest entity in the forthcoming polls to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike ((BBMP). In an interview with N.B. Hombal after inducting 380 buses into the BMTC's fleet on Saturday, the Vokkaliga strongman claimed that Mr Yeddyurappa’s initiatives for the development of Bengaluru in the last 17 months would be enough to win them the BBMP. Excerpts.
When do you plan to hold the polls to BBMP? The civic body has been functioning without elected representatives for more than three years? Are you afraid of the polls?
Why should we be afraid of anything? We will hold the elections once we are through with the ward reservation process and other formalities.
In the current circumstances with BJP just having overcome a serious crisis, are your party workers prepared to face voters in the city?
See, whatever happened in the party recently, has certainly dented our image but not to the extent which the media has portrayed. Minor differences do creep into any large family and it has happened in BJP as well. Our workers are ready for the elections and are not shying away from them.
If the party is so confident, when will the elections be announced?
It would not be right to say anything on the calendar of events for the poll which has to be announced by the state election commission. I feel the commission will announce the calendar in the first week of January.
You seem confident of facing the electorate despite the recent political crisis and the fact that your party has litle to show by way of achievements of the BJP government?
What do you mean when you say we have not achieved anything significant? Roads have been relaid, flyovers have been completed, street lights have been repaired, parks have been built in several residential localities. Namma Metro’s first phase will be inaugurated next year while BMTC has introduced several new services.
How were you involved in the political crisis?
Not a single BJP legislator from Bengaluru was associated with any group as they were busy in their constituencies redressing people’s problems.
It helped us protect the party’s image though I do have to admit it was dented to an extent in flood-hit north Karnataka.
Although the BJP leadership succeeded in working out a compromise between the warring camps, people still think BJP is a divided house with the truce likely to be broken any time.
Our leaders know how to tackle such problems. Ours is a national party with disciplined workers. All differences have been ironed out. Be it the Reddy brothers or Mr Yeddyurappa or anyone else for that matter, they will have to fall in line.
I am sure the party will resurrect itself with a slew of developmental projects in the city before the elections.

BMTC adds 380 more buses to its fleet

BMTC adds 380 more buses to its fleet


Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy flagging off 380 BMTC city buses at Shantinagar bus stand in Bangalore on Saturday.

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 15 Nov 2009 05:26:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 15 Nov 2009 07:56:40 AM IST
BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) on Saturday inducted 380 city buses to its fleet under the assistance of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Scheme (JNNURM).
The buses were flagged off by Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy and state Transport Minister R Ashok at the BMTC Shantinagar Bus Stand premises.
BMTC managing director Syed Zameer Pasha said that the BMTC will be extending its operations up to the regions under the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) as well.
The 380 buses inducted included 111 Volvo buses, 203 Leyland buses and 66 Tata buses, which are environment and passenger-friendly, Pasha added.
The BMTC, established in August 15, 1997, has 5,610 buses under its fleet. Earlier, the BMTC was called the Bangalore Transport Company (established in 1940) that had a fleet of 113 buses.
Pasha said that the Union Ministry of Urban Development had accorded approval for the procurement of 1,000 buses by the BMTC under JNNURM at a cost of Rs 323.82 crore. “Out of which, 380 buses of three types were inducted and for the remaining 620 buses, the BMTC has already placed the purchase orders for their procurement,’’ he said.
He added that under the special package- 2 of JNNURM for 1,000 buses, the Centre is providing financial aid of Rs 113.34 crore (35 pc share), the state government is granting Rs 48.57 crore (15 pc share) and the remaining Rs 161.91 crore (50 pc) is being borne by the BMTC.
“Of the 1,000 buses, 700 would be of 900/850 mm floor height, 100 would be of 650 mm semi-low floor height and 200 buses would be of 400/390 mm low floor height,’’ Pasha said.

‘Plan priorities have become city-centric’

‘Plan priorities have become city-centric’
Bangalore: Nov 15, DH News Service

The Advisor to the Chief Minister on Urban Affair A Ravindra on Sunday suggested that the Town and Country Planning Department should not be rigid with regard to house construction as per the sanctioned plan.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion of Karnataka Town and Country Planning Department’s (KTCPD) gold jubilee celebration Ravindra said, “We should look at the plan from people’s point of view. Why not we amend the laws instead of bringing laws to regularise the buildings with violations?”

Dr Ravindra took a dig at the urban-centric thinking in the town and country planning department. “The KTCPD is now addressed as Town Planning Department. People have forgotten ‘country’ or the rural areas. Our priorities have become city-centric and in Karnataka’s context, our priorities are Bangalore-centric. There is need for planning in the rural areas as well,” said Ravindra.

He advised the officials of the KTCPD that the urban planning should take into account the economic growth.

“Today development has taken over the plan and a lot of revenue layouts have come up. We say revenue layouts are illegal but it is also a fact that we could not provide land to the needy people,” said Ravindra.

He suggested to the KTCPD officials to incorporate the cultural and commercial activities while planning something new to cater to the changing lifestyle.

Earlier Minister for Urban Development S Suresh Kumar said there is need for foresightedness keeping in view the growth of the city. He added that along with planning, implementation is also required. He also took a dig at violations becoming a norm today.

The death of a lake

The death of a lake

The Bangalore South constituency may boast of having the maximum number of water bodies, hills and hillocks, good number of civic amenity sites but these jewels of the constituency are now in danger.

The lakes are either encroached upon or would be land-filled to give space for new infrastructure projects or turn into the 'sewerage junction' of various layouts and multi-storeyed apartments of the 'fastest growing city'. The sizable revenue layouts in this constituency are posing threat to the CA sites with growing fear of land grabbing and encroachment.

Take the case of Subramanyapura Lake: People say they never saw its water depleting. While the neighbouring Vasanthpura, Konanakunte, Yelchenhalli are facing acute water crisis, underground water is in plenty near the Subramanyapura Lake. The lake attracted many migratory birds from across the country and the globe. Now this lake is endangered as its banks have been encroached upon and builders of the nearby apartments have connected its sewerage line to this lake. People are apprehensive that very soon this beautiful lake would start stinking and it would be land filled.

"Mixing sewage with the Subramanyapura lake is a conspiracy to make it contaminated and then land-fill it so as to build apartments over it. The land mafias want to kill this lake. We will not allow this to happen,” said Thimappa, a retired Government official.

"We grew up with this lake. We learnt swimming in this lake but now nobody would like to go near it as it is contaminated. A lot of encroachment has come up around the lake and there is no move to clear the encroachments. The politicians have encouraged it only for votebank politics without giving a thought to the consequences," Thimmappa adds.
A local leader of Thurahalli village Srinivas alleged that the apartments are polluting the lake. “We demand the BBMP to save the lake by developing park around it much on the lines of Sankey Tank," said Srinivas.

The Uttarahalli Lake was also in a similar state and slums were coming up around it but the BBMP acted quickly and fenced it. After fencing the lake, the BBMP has stopped the work where a park has to come up.

Of the 27 lakes in the constituency only three water bodies – Uttarahalli Lake, Dore Kere and Maghe Kere – have been taken up for development while the rest are crying for attention.

The local MLA M Krishnappa says in the next financial year allocation would be made for conserving lakes of his constituency. In this area greenery is taking a back seat though it is having maximum number of vacant site. Many areas of this constituency such as Anjanapura ward look barren as plantation drive has not been carried out in many of the newly developed layouts.

The irony of this constituency is that Cauvery Third stage waterline goes from this constituency but four out of the seven wards namely Uttarahalli, Vasanthapura, Yelchenahalli and Konanakunte are devoid of Cauvery water.

CMH Road station, an escape from today’s chaos?

CMH Road station, an escape from today’s chaos?
S Praveen Dhaneshkar, Bangalore, Nov 15, DHNS

The CMH Road in Indiranagar is today a mighty mess, thanks to the ‘Namma Metro’ alignment on this stretch. But despite a litany of protests by residents and traders to shift the alignment to OM Road, the project took off here.

Yet, after enduring the virtual death of the once-thriving street, residents might just welcome the CMH Road station, the third from the Baiyappanahalli depot on the East-West corridor.

The BMRCL had to encounter protests and threats of self-immolation by traders and residents before it dared to venture into CMH Road and begin construction in early 2008.
Located in the heart of Indiranagar and named after the Chinmaya Mission Hospital at the other end of the Road, this stretch of Indiranagar has grown considerably over the last three decades from being a quiet residential area into a busy commercial hub.

Built at an elevated level, this station is located adjacent to the Arya Samaj building at a height of 12 mtrs above the ground and is probably the only one to be situated on the narrowest stretch of a Metro corridor. With features similar to that of other stations on Reach-1, it is expected to cater to those residing and working at Indiranagar, HAL 2nd stage, 100 ft Road, Defence Colony and Laxmipura.

While the total length of elevated stations is expected to be 136 meters and consist of two levels, the BMRCL has approved its designs so as to allow maximum sunlight into the stations by having glass-like facade/coverings.

The BMRCL has planned mode-wise parking requirements at all Metro stations, based on station loads.

The detailed project report (DPR) has stated that 70 per cent of passengers are expected to come to the station, by walk. Of all vehicle feeder trips, 80 per cent are expected to be performed by BMTC buses, while the remaining would be by cars, two-wheelers, autos and cycles.

In fact, planning at most Metro stations has been done in such a way as to avoid private vehicle parking. This is to encourage commuters to extensively use BMTC buses that would supplement the Metro as a feeder service. So, do not expect vehicle parking bays at the CMH Road station.

The DPR, while mentioning passenger traffic projections for the year 2021, has stated that 74 train commuters are expected to board the Metro, every peak minute.

Netas’ greed jammed B’lore

Netas’ greed jammed B’lore

NO BUS STOPS AT SIGNALS
Thought should be given to changing the bus stops all over Bangalore near traffic junctions. The best example is at BEL Circle. The bus stops near traffic junctions not only create a blockade but also halt the traffic as mini buses and autos are also halted for picking up passengers.
Shajith, Jalahalli OH MALLESWARAM!
Once upon a time, Malleswaram was the peaceful neighbourhood, with plenty of trees, wide and good roads, ample parking and a serene locality for children and senior citizens. Now, with builders like Mantri, Brigade and new arrivals expected like a shopping complex at Geetanjali theatre complex, the scene is different. Age-old residents at Malleswaram have to get through the traffic jams at Natraj theatre then Sampige theatre and then at 6th, 8th & 11th cross, each lasting 10-15 minutes.
By the time you reach your home at Malleswaram, you are already exhausted. Can’t the authorities stop approving any more commercial complexes at residential localities, can’t they make the big commercial houses who are building these apartments and complexes to get the infrastructure like roads and sewage ready for general public and then allow them to build?
Ranga, ranga@indiatimes.com



RESETTLE AUTO DRIVERS
Jamaluru was born about 25 years ago, when the first flats were built in Malleswaram, and our Congress netas opened the flood gates for north Indians to settle in Bangalore and spoil the city. Later netas, who lick votes from the ground, did nothing for the betterment of the city. Today’s traffic jams are the result of these greedy breed. I have both two-wheelers and four-wheelers which I use to travel 70 odd kms across the city daily. One thing is certain, the auto guys (a) don’t show signals, (b) put their hands just down, not even out from the auto, to give signals, nobody behind sees what that guy is up to, (c) stop dead in the middle of the road to pick his prey, irrespective of how the guy behind dies (d) squeeze themselves from all sides on the road, hitting the two-wheelers, especially the ladies pillion and lady drivers (e) just stop short of entering a narrow gap between two big vehicles, completely blocking the tens of two wheelers who could have passed off in-between. These auto fellows need to have either their licence cancelled or heavily fined.
Make agriculture a paying and fanciful occupation, so most of these guys who came running from the village go back and settle in agriculture. Secondly, convert all high-rise buildings into mini-townships. It must be 35 per cent commercial and 65 per cent residential areas in every construction. So the people who work in the offices/shops/commercial establishments in the buildings, hardly need to go out of the compound.The builder MUST provide all amenities like school, hospital etc in the compound.This way, most of the people would hardly need to travel. Or Bangalore has no future.
Anandh RVS, RR Nagar

BACK TO HEAD GEAR

BACK TO HEAD GEAR
About 6,000 accidents occur on Bangalore’s roads; over 800 of them are fatal and most of the victims pillion riders. It is time they too started wearing helmets
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


Making helmetwearing mandatory for twowheeler riders is fine. But why not spare a thought for the pillion riders who face as grave a risk as the riders, or even more? Just sample this. Bangalore sees 6,000 road accidents every year, of which over 800 are fatal. And a majority of the victims are pillion riders.
One can imagine the bike riders’ guilt feeling. While they survive, the ones who sat behind them are no more.
Reynold, 50, an IT professional who survived a crash, but lost the person sitting behind him, has still not been able to overcome the trauma.
ROAD RASH
Recalling the harrowing incident, Reynold said he was returning home from his office on Inner Ring Road on February 2 this year when a woman asked him for a lift. “While I was riding, a speeding vehicle rammed into my bike from behind. I lost balance and hit a median and we both were thrown off the vehicle. That’s all I could remember. When I gained consciousness, I was in the hospital, I later found she had died,” he said.
“It is a terrible feeling. Though I don’t know her, it is difficult to digest the fact that the person who travelled with me is no more. I’m gradually trying to get over that feeling,” he said.
Reynold said he was saved because he wore a helmet. “She had a head injury. Had she worn a helmet, she could have survived,” he felt.
HEAD WOES
According to Dr N C Prakash, consultant neuro and spine surgeon, HOSMAT, head and spinal injuries are common among pillion riders. The hospital receives at least six to seven cases of pillion riders having sustained head or spinal injuries in accidents every month.
Not many pillion riders use helmets. B Lokesh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Adugodi sub-division, said, “Hardly two to three per cent of pillion riders use helmets. If they too use helmets, more than half the major injuries associated with two-wheeler accidents can be reduced.”
‘FATAL’ STUDY

• Two-wheeler riders and pillions are the second leading road users who account for 38 per cent of deaths and 51 per cent of injuries, according to a road traffic injury surveillance study, conducted by NIMHANS in association with WHO and 21 other city hospitals

• 87 per cent of accident victims were men; more than half in both fatal and non-fatal accidents had not worn helmets

• 82 per cent of victims in non-fatal two-wheeler accidents were in the age group of 16 to 45

God save you if you drive drunk in city

God save you if you drive drunk in city

On the cards: No driving licence for youngsters below 18 years

Shwetha S. Bangalore

Bangalore police is all set to tighten the noose on the city's drunk drivers. If you're caught driving after a few tipples, it could well mean cooling your heels, and your head, for 24 hours in the police station. That is, if the state transport department's proposal next month to the Government of India for an amendment in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, is cleared.
The other proposal is to stop issuing driving licences (DL) to teenagers below 18 years. The current eligibility is 16 years. The state transport department, along with other states, is planning to put forward these proposals to the government to make the city safer.
This move follows a flood of requests from concerned parents and citizens campaigning against drink-driving to bring in morestringent laws instead of the current system, wherein offenders are let off after paying a fine.

Flood-hit pour into Bangalore

Flood-hit pour into Bangalore
By: Manjunath L Hanji Date: 2009-11-10 Place: Bangalore




Civic body fears pressure on infrastructure

As desperate flood-affected people from north Karnataka migrate to Bangalore in search of a livelihood, the Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) admits migrants will increase the pressure on an overburdened city. However, it also states that there is no way they can be stopped from entering the city, as that would be unconstitutional.


Desperate: A group of flood-affected villagers on the city's streets


"The migration will definitely increase the pressure on Bangaloreans," said BBMP commissioner Bharat Lal Meena. "However, there are no laws to prevent the migration and we (BBMP) don't object to them coming here for shelter and food. But the contractors who employ them should give them accommodation and food." Added H S Uthappa Joint Labor Commissioner of Bangalore, "We should instruct the contractors to pay the workers minimum wage at least and adequate shelter," he said. That is what the migrants are looking for too. As Tavanappa Kurer, who has come to the city from Sindagi in Gulbarga put it, "We aren't here to earn more money and live in luxury. All we want is a job to give us two meals a day."

M R Poojar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) said, "It's the fundamental right of every citizen to move to any part of the country. We can't stop them. We should give the migrants proper instructions instead of only thinking whether the migration will increase crime rates."

Petition on Tagore circle

Petition on Tagore circle
Bangalore: Nov 14, DH News Service

The issue of Tagore Circle underpass was taken to the Central Government, with Hasiru Usiru, the Green Organisation submitting a petition to the Union Minister for Urban Development, Jaipal Reddy, on Saturday

The underpass project has been taken up by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) at a cost Rs 22 crore.

The NGO submitted the petition to Reddy, who was in the City for the flagging off 380
buses .

The petition states: “The BBMP claims that 12,000 passenger car units (PCUs) passed through the (Tagore) Circle. Independent survey done by traffic management experts about three months ago confirmed a figure of hardly 4,500-5,000 PCUs. This is a serious intentional exaggeration to justify the huge expenditure. It is reported in the media that ACP (Traffic) has disassociated with the traffic density figures assumed by BBMP.”
Reddy said that he was not for flyovers or grade separators in the City. “The flyovers (grade separators) will only cause traffic jams on it. I have tried to keep the number of projects for grade separators to a minimal through the JnNURM,” he said.

ABIDe plan could derail HSRL project to airport

ABIDe plan could derail HSRL project to airport
P M Raghunandan, Bangalore, Nov 14, DH News Service:

The vexed high speed rail link (HSRL) project to Bengaluru international airport has many more hurdles to cross before it could chug along.

A Rs 5,200 crore project, which has received an overwhelming response from investors across the globe, may get derailed if ABIDe (Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure and Development Task Force) has its way. ABIDe, which has been opposing the HSRL and insisting that a metro should replace it, is now exploring other corridors to connect the BIA with the City, official sources told Deccan Herald.

ABIDe, sources said, it is finalising a corridor -- Yeshwanthpur, Mattikere, BEL, Sahakaranagar and BIA via NH-7 -- which is likely to clash with that of the HSRL. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC), it is learnt, has done a survey of this corridor for the ABIDe. “Mooting an alternative proposal at this juncture will deliver a huge blow to the HSRL. The investors would step back leaving the high speed rail project in a limbo,” officials pointed out.

ABIDe Convener and MP Rajiv Chandrashekar and its vice-chairman Ananth Kumar are said to be against the HSRL. The opposition to the project is such that Capt Gopinath, the pioneer of low-cost airlines, was given the marching orders from the Vision Group for Infrastructure Development for Bangalore for having spoken in favour of the HSRL recently.

However, Minister for Infrastructure Development Janardhana Reddy has backed the project. Reddy had strongly opposed the appointment of Rajiv Chandrashekar as the chairman of flood relief monitoring cell recently. It was in fact one of the reasons for the Bellary Reddys to raise a banner of revolt against CM Yeddyurappa.

Officials said the HSRL project is already half way through the tender process. “The project has received splendid response from investors despite economic downturn. Five consortiums, comprising 14 big time investors, have come forward to invest money into project on PPP basis,” sources said.

The Government cannot withdraw the HSRL at this moment. But it can be spiked only by confusing and discouraging investors from taking it up. “This is exactly what will happen if another corridor to BIA is mooted now. Investors will think twice before taking up any project in future in the State if the HSRL is dropped at this juncture,” officials warned.
The five consortiums are: Reliance Infrastructure Limited and CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Co Ltd; L & T Transco Limited; ITD-ITD Cem Joint Venture (Italian – Thai Development Public Co. Ltd & ITD Cementation India Limited); Pioneer Infratech Pvt. Ltd & Siemens Project Ventures Gmbh; Lanco Infratech Ltd & OHL Concesiones SL.

In fact, ABIDe had opposed the project in September last year and stalled the tender process. Then, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation MD Sreedharan intervened and asked the CM Yeddyurappa to go ahead with it. Then, the State Cabinet gave the green signal in February, 2009. DMRC is the consultant for the HSRL.

When contacted, BMRC MD N Sivasailam refused to comment. ABIDe member and transport expert Sreehari confirmed that BMRC has come forward with a metro rail plan from Yeshwanthpur to BIA. “Both the HSRL and metro are waste of tax-payers’ money. We can connect the BIA with the City by using the South Western Railway line,” he stated.

Use BIA, cough up Rs 500

Use BIA, cough up Rs 500

November 15th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Tags: Bangalore International Airport Ltd’s (BIAL), long-standing demand


Bengaluru, Nov. 14: Prepare to pay Rs 500 as user development fee every time you catch a flight from the city. The current UDF of Rs 260 for domestic passengers is likely to be hiked by around 60 per cent in accordance with airport operator Bangalore International Airport Ltd’s (BIAL) long-standing demand for an increase in the fee.
Sources in the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERAI), the newly-formed wing under the ministry of civil aviation, told Deccan Chronicle that BIAL’s appeal is under consideration. “BIAL had sought to increase UDF for domestic passengers to Rs 670 and for international passengers to Rs 1,050,” an AERAI official said.
But before the fee hike is approved, BIAL will have to submit details of expenditure on BIA to AERAI. “Once they furnish the details we will evaluate and announce the new tariffs. In all probability, the hike will be in the range of 50 to 60 per cent for domestic passengers but the UDF for international passengers may not be revised,” the official said.
The authority has also received requests for UDF hikes from other airports including those in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi. AERAI will soon come out with standards for providing amenities and services that airport developers and operators will be required to adhere to.

Cars smashed on Lavelle Road, looted

Cars smashed on Lavelle Road, looted



Express News ServiceFirst Published : 15 Nov 2009 05:12:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 15 Nov 2009 07:58:16 AM IST
BANGALORE: Three parked cars in one of the most crowded places on Lavelle Road were broken and valuables worth lakhs of rupees were stolen on Saturday.
One of the car owners Rathan Shetty alleged that a diamond ring and a gold pendant worth about Rs five lakh, along with cash, was stolen from his car parked opposite Java City on Saturday evening. Two more cars parked opposite the coffee shop on Lavelle Road were damaged by the miscreants. Surprisingly, no one claimed to have noticed the act, despite a bustling weekend crowd.
When Rathan was trying to head back home, he found the vehicle damaged and the valuables missing.
Cubbon Park police have registered a robbery case and said that the owners of the other two cars have not yet Priyanka (left) arguing with police officials on Saturday. lodged any complaint.

Essence of Old Bangalore

Essence of Old Bangalore
Shruthi Balakrishna | TNN


The bisi-bisi khali dosa simply melts in your mouth. Just a dab of coconut chutney, and it’s a treat for the taste-buds. Hotel Dwaraka in N R Colony is one of those Bangalore hotels which bring the essentials of good dosa-eating to the customer.
So much so, it’s aroma has reached farflung places, and people from outside Bangalore too come here for the yummy dosas.
Most South Bangaloreans, at one point or other, would have had their fill here — though it was earlier on Bull Temple Road. Frequent visitors will remember boards stating: ‘No by-two coffees’ or ‘No serving of chutney more than twice’! But can they blame us for asking for more chutney? The ethics remain, though the hotel has shifted to N R Colony, and still has its loyal customer base.
The present joint has a seating area too, which ensures that the aged and big families can relax and relish their dosas, without being stand-ups at a darshini table. Besides khali dosa, there’s masala and plain dosa, rava vada, kesari bhath, halwa, khara bhath —- daily snacks which turn into delicacies here.
The typical South Indian breakfast — idly-vada, different kinds of rice and poori. In the evening, there is more variety — rava vada, maddur vada and banana, capsicum and onion bhajji. The joint also has the tomato dosa, which is not available everywhere. On Sunday and Wednesday mornings, one can expect bisi bele bhath — hot stuff, that!
The hotel, set up in 1971 on Bull Temple Road, sold a dosa for just 20 paise! After four decades, the dosas are still sold at an affordable rate. For instance, a plate of khali dosa (two dosas) cost Rs 18 onwards. Dosas are so popular here that they sell like hot cakes, and keeping count is impossible, they say.
What makes them so special? The right proportion: we use quality rice which adds taste, says Shridhar S Holla, proprietor, Hotel Dwaraka. In fact, Shridhar discovered this yummy dosa through trial and error. “I kept trying different ways to make it tastier. Finally, I succeeded,” he says, matter-of-fact. “I supervise the preparation of the batter. In case something goes wrong, I change it immediately,” he says.
Besides dosa, Shridhar proudly says that even the idlis here are just as popular. Pooris are made from pure wheat flour, but are crisp and fluffy.
K M Kulkarni, a bank employee and first-timer, is all praise. “I just dropped in for a quick bite. I truly relished the dosa. It’s not too spicy, and the oil is just right. The coffee tastes good too.”
Try it, you will find it as good!
Hotel Dwaraka
15, 7th Cross, N R Colony, Bangalore Phone: 080-25905217

‘SIGNAL-FREE’ RICHMOND FLYOVER

‘SIGNAL-FREE’ RICHMOND FLYOVER


The Richmond Circle flyover is the only elevated road in the world to have a traffic intersection. But, soon it is going to be a thing of the past. Bidari said, “We are working on a plan which ensures that there will be no cop stopping you from crisscrossing on the flyover. The plan will be executed in 30 days.”
Sources said the police want to reverse the traffic flow on Mission road and Richmond road. Currently, a vehicle can ascend the flyover from Richmond road side and get down at Mission Road. This was the result of crisscrosses between vehicles coming from Kengal Hanumantaiah road (double road) towards Residency Road. With the reverse order, police say that it not only ensures signal-less drive but also reduces traffic comparatively.

LANE DISCIPLINE COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS

LANE DISCIPLINE COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS
Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari, in a live chat with Bangalore Mirror readers, said major roads that are being widened will soon be made two-way to instill more lane discipline


Bangalore city Police C o m m i s s i o n e r Shankar Bidari said that once Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) completed widening of major junctions, police are ready to implement two-way traffic. Speaking to Bangalore Mirror readers in an exclusive chat as part of ‘Jamaluru’ campaign, Bidari said, “We know that oneways create lot of problems. Uni-directional traffic is only a temporary solution. Hence, we are already taking measures to make it two-way on Palace road, Seshadri road, Sarjapur road and Race course road. Some of the major road projects in the pipeline are Bellary road, Hosur road, Hosur-Lashkar road, Nrupatunga road, Palace road and Seshadri road.”
TWO-WAYS IN 20 DAYS
The traffic police are set to make many one-ways bi-directional in 20 days. As Electronics city elevated highway is set for inauguration in December first week, Hosur road will become a two-way. Currently, vehicles from MG Road moving towards Central Silk Board have to take a compulsory left turn at St John’s junction. The situation is so bad that even for a U-turn motorists have to drive a few extra kilometres. However, once Hosur road is made twoway, you can head directly towards Central Silk Board.

Jamaluru

Bangaloreans put City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari in the dock in a live chat, shooting questions across a broad spectrum: from too many one-ways to community policing


As part of its Jamaluru campaign to un-jam the city traffic, Bangalore Mirror set up a live chat between the Bangalore Commissioner of Police Shankar Bidari and Bangalore Mirror readers on Friday. The top cop answered a volley of questions from the citizens ranging from overspeeding to road humps. He was accompanied by Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood.
THE EXCERPTS:
Vinod: Why are bus stops always near signals? Bidari: Ideally, the stops should never be near signals. However, Bangalore has grown by leaps and bounds. Many stops have come into existence for the convenience of general public. We have identified 4,000 bus stops near signals, of which 200 have been shifted. The remaining 3,800 stops are in consideration.
Malavika: Unless traffic police puts in sincere effort, traffic woes are here to last for ever. What are your plans to make our police effective? Bidari: Barring a few exceptions, traffic police are making sincere efforts. Their problems are also subject to law of physics. Four million vehicles are to be controlled by 2,000 traffic cops. Hence, it is not possible to expect a 100 per cent problem-free situation. We are working with concerned agencies like BBMP, BDA, BESCOM, BMTC and other bodies to find a solution.
Mr Big: Why trucks are being allowed inside the City? Bidari: There are restrictions for entry of trucks, except trucks carrying essential supplies.
Amitabh: Why do cops inspect documents from two-wheelers? Bidari: It is our duty to check the vehicles. However, if any policeman is misusing his power by extracting money, we will deal with such cases sternly.
Truebangalorean: Police divert traffic in case of VIP movement but why there is no such provision for ambulances?
Bidari: Every rule is relaxed for ambulances on duty. However, for VIP movement, police have prior information about the trip and make alternative arrangements. But, as you know ambulances are emergency services, we cannot plan the alternative routes in advance. But, we ensure that ambulances get their right of the way.
David: What is your action against unnecessary honking?
Bidari: There are enough guidelines. We book cases against those who create nuisance and thousands of such cases are registered every year.
ABangalorean: Why are projects like Metro and KR Circle Magic box kick started without public consensus?
Bidari: The process is not practical. However, representative bodies take the concurrence of all the author
ities concerned before the new project. Dinesh: What are the measures taken by cops to ensure better flow of traffic in arterial roads and bottlenecks?
Bidari: A number of measures have been initiated during the last two years through B-Trac project. All the measures have been notified from time to time.
Vijay: What is the legally permissible speed in the city?
Bidari: For vehicles plying on Chikballapur Road (Bengaluru International Airport Road), 80 kmph is the maximum limit, while it is 60 kmph on Outer Ring Road and 50 kmph in other areas. We have erected sufficient number of boards informing the same. However, if boards are missing in a few areas, action will be taken.
Sujay: What is the action against two-wheelers which ply on footpaths causing inconvenience to pedestrians?
Bidari:Bangalore has one of the highest two-wheeler population. For example, there are 2.5 million twowheelers plying in the city. Many of them are youngsters who are not wellinformed about the existing traffic rules. In a bid to reach the destination, many of they climb footpaths thereby endangering pedestrians. Many times, rain water clogs the road and people drive on footpaths. Footpath driving is considered as dangerous driving and we hope to solve it through better traffic education.
Dinesh: How is community policing project shaping up. Are you planning to introduce citizen for safe roads on the lines of Chennai?
Bidari:Every city has its own ethos. We are taking this in a big way in association with traffic warden association. The number of traffic wardens manning the junctions was 300 in January 2009, which is likely to reach 1,000 by next month. We hope to reach the target of having 2,500 wardens by December 2010... I think everyone should follow lane discipline which solves many of the problems. Moreover, many do not know how to park vehicles. If people stick to rules, then most of the traffic problems can be easily solved. I wish every Bangalorean realises this.
Bikerdude: Is Bangalore traffic police understaffed? If yes, what steps are you taking to solve this problem?
Bidari:Do not worry about our strength. We are duty bound and will ensure to deliver good services.
Prashanth: Is it possible to take up road widening, painting and other works in the night?
Bidari:It is mostly done during the night except for emergency works.
Snigda: Vehicles are allowed to take a right turn for Manipal hospital. Why is there no such facility even for ambulances at NIMHANS?
Bidari: As I said earlier, there are no restrictions for ambulances and fire services. Ravi: Why are a majority of traffic cops seen hiding after traffic junctions rather than standing near the junctions?
Bidari: This is a thing of the past. If you have any instance, please bring it to my notice and I will act on that.
Newborn: Why do drunken drivers get away easily while we cough up money for other offences?
Bidari: It is a wrong notion. Drunken driving is a serious offence. We book more than 30,000 cases a year and there is no escaping from drunken driving offences.
Akunera: Mr Bidari, can you prevent scissors-like crisscrossing of traffic? It is so chaotic at KR Circle.
Bidari: Motorists should not indulge in crisscrossing. Firstly, they are risking their lives. Secondly, we will take serious action.
Ramya: How can a Bangalorean like me help you to make Bangalore roads free from traffic jams?
Bidari: Please follow traffic rules and see the change.
Samita: Delhi has a toll free number to register complaints, what is the process in Bangalore? Bidari: Just dial 103 and leave the rest to us. You can also register complaints through mail.
Shafi: Drunken driving cases are booked. But, what about those who consume ganja and other contraband drugs and drive? Bidari: If found, we will deal with them according to traffic violation and anti-narcotics act.
Devi: When will we have a skywalk near Tin Factory, K R Puram? Bidari: We have enlisted a number of junctions for skywalks. The report has been sent to BBMP for action.
Dinesh: Why don’t traffic personnel wear reflective jackets at night? Is the corporate sector willing to buy the city police more jackets? Bidari: There is no support required from the corporate sector as our finances are strong enough. We have distributed necessary accessories to all the cops. If someone is not wearing, it is his fault.
Mancee: What is the action taken against those autos overloading with children?
Bidari: An auto cannot transport more than six kids. However, if we see any auto violating the rule, action will be initiated. Moreover, we request co-operation from parents to ensure kids’ safety.
Rinki: BDA and BBMP propose to make more roads signal free. But, instead of ‘signal-free’ it is turning out to be ‘signal full’?
Bidari: We do not install signals unless it is necessary. Once the pending works are done, then we can ensure signal-free roads.
Vinay: Why are cops still not using Blackberry sets?
Bidari: We require 400 more Blackberries. By January 26, every police officer will be equipped with a Blackberry thereby phasing out paper-based notice books. This move will make enforcement more user-friendly and non-discretionary. It will also help in creating a data base of traffic offenders and enhanced punishment for subsequent and habitual offenders.
Malavika: After the introduction of traffic signals on RT Nagar 100 Feet Road, the situation has become bad. Bidari: If there are no signals, then the situation would be worse.
Akk: Why don’t we have separate lanes for right and U turns?
Bidari: We will implement your suggestions subject to availability of road space.
Neha: Are flyovers and widened roads in the city capable of meeting traffic requirements for the next 20 years?
Bidari: No.
David: Why are our cops no match for international standards. We see them weak, dressed in shabby clothes and not smart. Do you advocate a make over?
Bidari: Our cops are a product and reflection of our society. However, let me assure that performance-wise we are far better than any other police force in the world.
Prashanth: Is it possible for the police to reach out to youngsters in colleges by holding seminars and workshops?
Bidari: It is already in progress. We have educated 1.5 lakh children and plan to educate another 50,000 children shortly.
Vinay: Though bumpy speed breakers have been crudely removed, mammoth speed breakers are in place in a different avatar. Can you please look into it?
Bidari: It is a serious issue. We want road humps to be re-designed as per Indian Road Congress norms by March 31, 2010.
Prabhakar: Why is parking being allowed on narrow streets where there is barely any space to move around? Bidari: In some areas, it is inevitable. However, in some places, parking space has been misused for commercial uses. The only remedy is to adhere strictly to building bye-laws.
ABangalorean: What is the biggest challenge when it comes to handling traffic?
Bidari: The topography, rapidly increasing vehicular population, limited road space and the ongoing Metro and other construction works.
Sneha: Dealing with eunuchs in traffic junction is a big headache for motorists. Are you not taking action against them out of fear?
Bidari: We are strictly dealing with eunuchs and are not afraid of them.
SRK: Mr Commissioner, what is your message for Bangaloreans?
Bidari: ‘Sugama Sanchara’ (smooth traffic movement) is vital for the wellbeing of our city. Let us all join together, abide by the traffic laws and strive to improve road conditions. We also need to work in unison to make this a happy place for us and future generations.
RS 40 CR TO UPGRADE TRAFFIC REGULATION
The state government has already granted Rs 40 crore for the following projects to be executed in next one year under Bangalore Traffic Improvement Project (B-Trac):
State-of-the-art Traffic Training and Road Safety Institute to be constructed by Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation at Thanisandra for training police officers and road users
Improvement of junctions at 50 locations Permanent Traffic Management Center (TMC)
Street furniture like cat’s eyes, median markers, information boards, gantries with direction boards, flexible medians, wheel clamps and thermo-plastic road markings Pelican lights for pedestrians Equipment for Traffic Training Institute and Automation Center, and TMC ATC system at 14 corridors and other improvements to existing signals Training of police personnel Recurring operating expenditures Parking information system Surveillance and enforcement cameras and introduction of video analytics Mirror effect: Top cop gets ‘charged up’
When City Police Commissioner Shankar M Bidari and Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Praveen Sood walked into Bangalore Mirror office on Friday afternoon for an online chat on un-jamming Bangalore, they expected a simple question-and-answer session. But it turned out to be more than that.
With Bangaloreans firing questions on traffic, an awe-struck commissioner hailed Bangalore Mirror’s traffic campaign Jamaluru stating: “I feel more charged up now.”
Speaking on the initiative, Bidari said, “I never thought so many people would be asking questions on traffic, that too in the afternoon. But I am really happy with this initiative and Bangalore Mirror has given me an opportunity to interact with people on traffic-related issues. Everyone should realise that nothing can be achieved individually. Co-operation of the public is required.”
Bidari, in fact, was quite enthused about the Q&A session. So much so, that he promised instant action on some issues highlighted by BM readers. “After this chatting session I am even more charged up and I will take action in a couple of cases and you will see immediate results,” he said.
The commissioner said, “I would also take this opportunity to say that the door of my chamber is open from the time I walk in to my office and closes only after I leave for the day. We are making sincere efforts to help the people in distress.
“This is substantiated by the fact that the number of complaints being given to the Lok Ayukta or the Chief Minister’s office has come down drastically.”

Ten steps to change Bangalore

Ten steps to change Bangalore
A number of simple remedial measures can have a cumulative effect on the traffic congestion plaguing the city


Bangalore requires simple steps to improve its traffic. There are some simple steps that can show effect in 2-3 months and they do not need much investment. These steps, if implemented, can help Bangalore traffic move faster by 25-30 percent.
1
More lane discipline is required. For better lane
discipline, mark and enforce lane traffic as in all
‘civilised cities’. 2
Pedestrian crossings should be enforced
and used correctly so that more people can use
them to walk. 3
BMTC buses must stop only at designated bus stands. Currently, they stop in the middle of the road. Drivers must be disciplined to stop them only at bus stands.
4
Bus stand location must be at least 50m away
from where the road turns. If the bus stops at a
road corner, it chokes all the traffic behind. 5
Close all side roads. There are far too many openings from the sides into main roads. This is the way to manage the quantum of traffic in the main roads.
6
Synchronise traffic signals. The volume of flow of traffic in the morning and evening are different. The patterns in traffic and the signal times must be studied and taken into account to manage them better.
7
1,000 more buses such as Big10 are required. Many two-wheeler and four-wheeler owners have started using Big10 and Volvo. Additional buses will stop at least 30,000-40,000 more such two and four-wheelers.
8
Improve the footpaths. Remove all debris and hoardings so that people will walk on the footpaths. This can be done in the next two months. 9
Remove slow-moving traffic such as hand-driven carts, cycle carts, goods vans on three wheels. These are slow and they block all other traffic putting others also at risk.
10 Ten-year-old and older autos should be phased out.
EXPAND FIVE CORRIDORS
There are five important roads in the city which must be made larger. The side roads leading up to them must be cut.These corridors are: 1. Malleswaram-Tumkur/Peenya Road. 2.MG Road-Whitefield 3.Windsor Manor-Mehkri Circle-Airport Road.4.Hosur Road-Brigade Road. 5.Bannerghatta Road-Kanakapura Road
And extend NICE roads to airport.

LIVING DANGEROUSLY IN FREE-FOR-ALL LANE

LIVING DANGEROUSLY IN FREE-FOR-ALL LANE
Lack of lane discipline is the single biggest obstacle to smooth traffic in the city. Bad attitude and poor infrastructure lie at the heart of the problem
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


Bangalore is at the very bottom among all metros and major Indian cities in the matter of lane discipline. The evidence stares us in the face every hour of the day, in every part of town. It’s clearly an attitude problem, compounded of course by poor urban design and the ad hoc nature of the city’s development, which makes one big swathe of the city or the other a perpetual work in progress.
The attitude problem is surprising, considering Bangalore’s antecedents as a cantonment city and its contemporary self-definition as an international IT success story. Still, primal instincts and bad habits continue to prevail. The city has more than 300 one-ways, but lane discipline is the last thing you will find on its 5,250 kms of roads. And all of us - from car drivers and bikers to bus drivers and the much-maligned auto wallahs - are responsible to a greater or lesser extent.
Ask the cops who monitor traffic through surveillance cameras and they will tell you that lane discipline is one thing that every motorist is good at violating! Adepts at jumping lanes are two-wheeler riders (especially collegegoers), call-centre cabs and autorickshaws. Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Praveen Sood couldn’t have put it more succinctly when he said: “If there was lane discipline in the city, half the traffic woes would have automatically been solved.”
FAILED PRECEDENTS
In fact, several attempts were made in the past to enforce lane discipline, with Mumbai as a model, but in vain. In 2004, the traffic police joined hands with the Confederation of Indian Industry to implement the Lane Discipline Project on J C Road, a one-way. But after a few weeks, the paint marking the lanes started to blur and soon disappeared. Subsequently, the cops too lost interest.
The other reasons why lane discipline did not take off in Bangalore are: Narrow roads and lack of awareness among drivers. The focus is more on penalising drivers who overspeed and less on those who drive haphazardly and slowly in the middle of the road.
Experts feel that attitudinal changes have to be ushered in at the earliest.
LANE IS SANE HERE
BIA Road Outer Ring Road Inner Ring Road J C Road Race Course Road Cubbon Road Residency Road Indiranagar 100 Feet Road Old Madras Road (from Ulsoor to Hope Farm) Hosur Road Old Airport Road They never took off
In the past, exclusive lanes for buses and autorickshaws were created in the city.They soon died a natural death
BUS LANE
The idea was mooted to ensure that BMTC buses do not end up holding up smaller vehicles for ransom on the road. The bus lane project was started on Bellary Road from Cauvery Theatre junction. But traffic snarls started from day one. As all the buses —- from BMTC, KSRTC and APSRTC — were to travel in the same lane, it resulted in a pile-up of buses. As BMTC buses stopped at frequent intervals, the long-distance express buses had no option but to wait for the bus ahead to move on.
As lane system was taking a toll on the patience-levels of longdistance drivers, they started moving out of the lane on the pretext of overtaking and the bus lane system was defeated. The same concept is now being mooted for the Outer Ring Road.
AUTORICKSHAW LANE
This was first experimented with on Kempe Gowda Road in 2006, but failed miserably after the autorickshaw drivers protested against it. Their contention was that K G Road is a commercial area and stopping vehicles in the lane to pick or drop a passenger would create traffic snarls. The lane disappeared subsequently.
Yet, the cops introduced lanes on St Mark’s Road and adjoining areas recently. But that too failed and the autorickshaw tracks were removed.
The traffic police endorsed the autodrivers’ view that a separate lane was causing more problems. “There were a few incidents when the auto drivers used to apply sudden brakes to enter the lane, causing minor accidents,” said the cop.
The straight and the narrow
Lane discipline is more than simply following another traffic rule. It could be a matter of life and death. Here are two cautionary tales














A COSTLY CRASH
Any mention of lane-discipline and 21-year-old Suhail Ahmed visibly trembles. It reminds him of the escape he had from the jaws of death a few months ago. Pointing to the multiple fractures in his right leg, Suhail said:“I would not have been lying on the hospital bed for several months had I been a little patient with other impatient drivers on the road.”
A resident of Munnegowda Garden in Neelasandra, and currently recuperating at Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Suhail recounted the accident.“I was riding my two-wheeler on Mysore Road when I saw a tractor ahead of me on the highway.It was 3:30 pm and I realised that the tractor was being driven in a zig-zag way. I just wanted to get past the tractor, so I decided to overtake from the left. But while overtaking, the tractor driver suddenly swerved to his left and hit me. I fell down and the impact was such that I had multiple fractures in my leg,” he said. His hospital bill so far has come up to Rs 70,000.
Suhail blamed himself for the accident.“I am really feeling bad.I blame myself for overspeeding and overtaking from the left and the tractor driver for not following lane discipline. I took a decision that I will not overspeed or overtake from the left. I have gone through enough pain and complicated the financial position of my aging parents,” he said.



YOU SUFFER BECAUSE OF OTHERS
The next time Santosh Kumar spots a rash motorist, he has resolved to stop the latter and advise him to follow lane discipline. Well, the motivation comes from what Kumar went through a few months ago. A resident of Koramangala 6th Block, Kumar said: “It was around 10.30 pm, a Friday evening that I was riding back home on my bike. Though I was riding slowly, the guy who was coming behind me was zipping. He tried to overtake a car, but when he could not he swerved his bike to the left and rammed into my two-wheeler.
“The guy did not give any signal or even honk for me to give him way. His wild driving made me lose balance and I fell down. All that it could have taken for the bike rider was to hold his patience for less than 30 seconds and wait for the car ahead of him to give way, but he cut lanes and hit me. I was completely shocked, when I woke up I was in hospital.”
He suffered a fracture on his left elbow and a deep cut on his knee. Said Kumar: I have always followed traffic rules, but still got injured because of someone else’s fault. I hope that at least after this accident the guy who hit me will be more careful and follow traffic rules.”

Metro route eats up more trees

Metro route eats up more trees

Anil Kumar Sastry
Realignment costs 110 trees around Cubbon Park instead of original 70
PHOTO: V. SREENIVASA MURTHY

GARDEN CITY?: The new alignment will also create yet another entry point in Cubbon Park, imperilling its future. —
BANGALORE: In a classic case of the cure being worse than the illness, the changed alignment of the Namma Metro’s East-West corridor, that was to have protected Cubbon Park’s greenery, will actually result in the felling of 110 trees in and around this prized lung space.

As per the detailed project report (DPR) prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (DMRCL) in 2003, the Vidhana Soudha underground station would have been located near Multistorey Buildings. The underground alignment would have taken a right turn before Gopala Gowda Circle, moved under the length of Cubbon Park, and surfaced near the Jawahar Bal Bhavan. The Cricket Stadium elevated station would have come after the Mahatma Gandhi Park.

Initial refusal
A high-power committee of the State Government had refused to clear the alignment on this particular stretch because 70 trees would have been felled in Cubbon Park. Thus in September 2005, the committee headed by then Chief Secretary B.K. Das decided to change the alignment, said a senior official who was privy to the meeting.

However, today Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL), which is implementing Namma Metro, proposes to fell over 110 trees in the park and its surroundings. Over 90 trees are to be axed to lay alternative roads on either side of the Ambedkar Veedhi, and 22 in Cubbon Park for an alternative road to facilitate construction of the Vidhana Soudha and Minsk Square underground stations.

“If 110 trees are to be felled for the alternative road, the original alignment itself could have been followed as it did not affect traffic,” the official said. DMRCL had reportedly given two alternatives for the ramp to surface on ground — between M.G. Road and Brigade Road and between M.G. Road and Residency Road — if the Bal Bhavan option was not acceptable to the Government.

Purpose defeated
“The changing of alignment, aimed at protecting Cubbon Park in its entirety, will not serve any purpose if 22 trees inside it are to be felled for the alternative road,” Mr. Das told The Hindu.

“The decision was taken to save Cubbon Park from being touched in any manner. It was not envisaged at that time that alternative roads will be built right inside it,” he said.

“Once you touch Cubbon Park, restoring it to its original glory is impossible and it will give way to further destruction of the park which is under threat. The alternative road will allow yet another (entry point for vehicles). Cubbon Park will perish once it is touched,” he added.

‘Shift station’
Mr. Das said the proposed Minsk Square underground station should be shifted if an alternative road is coming inside Cubbon Park.

“While deciding the change of alignment, we had zeroed in on a piece of private property in front of the Central Telegraph Office. Even now it is not late; BMRCL should acquire it and build the underground station there. BMRCL should not be wary of escalation of cost by Rs. 30 crore to Rs. 40 crore (for acquisition) to save Cubbon Park,” Mr. Das said.

If acquiring this private property is not possible, the station should be pushed further under Cubbon Road to save Cubbon Park at any cost, he added.

BMRCL Managing Director N. Sivasailam is yet to respond to an email seeking his comments.

Underpasses delayed again

Underpasses delayed again

November 13th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Tags: Kadirenahalli and Puttenahalli underpasses


Bengaluru
Nov. 12: The Kadirenahalli and Puttenahalli underpasses will not be completed by the end of November as anticipated. Fresh deadlines have been set for the two projects, while the contractors executing them have been penalised for delaying them.
Transport minister and minister in charge of Bengaluru district R. Ashok on Wednesday set December 15 as the new date for completion of a portion of the Puttenahalli underpass leading to JP Nagar 24th main, and said the remaining portion leading to the Outer Ring Road will be completed by the end of January.
Mr Ashok, who was on an inspection of infrastructure projects in the city, said the contractor, Engineering Projects India (EPI) Ltd, had been asked to pay a penalty of Rs 50 lakh for delay in the work on the underpass and sub-contracting the work in violation of the terms of the tender.
“Once the company is through with this project, it will be blacklisted and not be considered for any future Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) projects,” the minister said.
The Madhava Hitech and Brahmaputra consortium, which is building the Kadirenahalli underpass, delayed due to technical and legal hurdles, has also been asked to cough up a penalty of Rs 75 lakh for not completing the project on time. “The work will now be taken up on a war footing,” Mr Ashok promised, explaining that both contracts had not been cancelled as inviting fresh tenders would have been time consuming.
In future, pre-qualification tenders will be invited to make sure that only suitable contractors could bid for projects, he said.
This will allow BBMP to assess the antecedents and skills of the companies concerned.
According to the transport minister, once the underpasses are ready, civic agency authorities will begin construction of a three-tier road network at the Kittur Rani Chennamma circle near the DG service station.

Traffic diversion for Metro

Traffic diversion for Metro



Express News ServiceFirst Published : 13 Nov 2009 07:47:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 13 Nov 2009 07:47:48 AM IST
BANGALORE: Traffic on Old Madras Road near Binnamangala will be diverted for one month from Sunday because of the ongoing Metro work, police said.
Following are the details of the diversion:
● All goods vehicles coming from KR Puram would have to enter the city through Ring Road.
● All KSRTC buses would take a left turn at Suranjandas junction-join HAL airport road and enter the city.
● Similarly the BMTC buses would enter the city via HAL airport after taking left turn at Suranjandas junction and 80 feet road junction.
● All cars and two wheelers would have to take a left turn at Suranjandas junction, join CMH road and Indiranagar 100 feet road and enter the city.

The IT crowd rides Buses

The IT crowd rides Buses
By: Chetan R Date: 2009-11-12 Place: Banglore




From today, the Outer Ring Road techies are showing the city how to decongest its IT corridors with a simple lifestyle change abandoning private vehicles in favour of mass public transport systems such as the city bus service for their daily commute.

Called Safe Wheels, the initiative has been introduced by the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), which has over 20 firms as its members.

Coming together
Started a year ago as a voluntary organisation to address traffic and transport issues, ORRCA is now urging employees to take the bus to work.

"Safe Wheels will start off on Thursday as ORRCA completes its first year," said S Vishwanath, manager, AOL, and general secretary of ORRCA, yesterday. "The initiative primarily aims at decongesting roads we use, and Sarjapur ORR will be the first."

Employees of ORRCA member companies number about 50,000 in the Sarjapur corridor, and as a starting point they plan to leave their two-wheelers or cars at home and use Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses.

Road ahead
Next, they plan to conduct yearlong awareness programmes that shall include installation of BMTC stalls in other IT companies to educate techies on services offered by the BMTC.

They also propose to organise roadshows that discourage the use of private vehicles.

ORRCA, which has companies such as Aditya Birla Minacs, Cisco, AOL, Honeywell, Intel, HP, Accenture and Northern Trust as members, has in the past addressed traffic issues using the public-private partnership route.

It has taken up initiatives aimed at creating awareness, like educating techies and commuters on traffic rules in association with the traffic police.

Now the effort has spread to include the BMTC.

"After educating people on road safety aspects and working with the traffic police to manage traffic over the pas year, we have planned the Safe Wheels initiative now," said Vishwanath. "This is another step forward in the effort to reduce traffic in the IT corridors."

Setting targets
Today, about 30 per cent of techies use private vehicles in the Sarjapur corridor. ORRCA wants to reduce this to 10 per cent by the end of this year.

The initiative will also be introduced in other IT corridors, including the Hosur, the ITPL and the Bannerghatta corridors, in stages.

"BMTC stalls in IT companies will call techies to use BMTC services instead of cabs or autos," said Vishwanath. "Initially, we are concentrating on the Sarjapur ORR corridor. Similar exercises will be carried out in other IT corridors."

Demolition drive set to clear storm water drains

Demolition drive set to clear storm water drains

Avanish Tiwary. bangalore



The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has stared a demolition drive to clear illegal encroachments on storm water drains near Katriguppe on Thursday. Out of 46 identified illegal buildings, ten residential structures were cleared on the first day.
The Palike demolition process was started at 9 in the morning, and continued till 6 in the evening. The BBMP had sought police help to deal with protesters who might block progress on the work.
"The BBMP has not issued any prior notices to us. If our houses were illegal, why did the BBMP collect property tax from us? We struggled to build these houses.Where will we go now?" asked one resident.
The BBMP authorities said that they had identified several illegal encroachments on storm water drains of Vrushbhavathi river that runs through Katriguppe, Ittamad and Terrace Garden Layout.
The illegal buildings were identified on the basis of a survey conducted 15 days prior to the demolition drive, said Srikante Gowda, executive engineer, BBMP.
He added, "Clearance activities at Katriguppe will take six more days. After that we will clear the encroachments at Thimmarayagowda Badawane. We have identified 32 illegal buildings there. The whole demolition drive will take at least one month to get over."

New decongestion plan to cut travel time to Majestic area

New decongestion plan to cut travel time to Majestic area

Directorate of urban land transport is going to reveal in a report the ideal locations to construct flyovers, pedestrian subways and skywalks to ease traffic and help commuters and pedestrians to reach the city's nerve centre faster, Bosky Khanna reports

Bosky Khanna



The directorate of urban land transport (DULT) is preparing a report to decongest Kempegowda bus stand, the city's central nerve point. If implemented, the plan would make Majestic area more accessible to commuters and pedestrians, sources said.
To achieve this, DULT officials have identified eight key circle screen points: Majestic Central area, Mysore Bank Circle, Natraj theatre, Okhalipuram, Magadi Main Road, Mysore Road, Briand Square, and Good Shed Road.
"We want to improve the geometry of these areas, ensure better traffic flow, improve short-term accessibility, and mobility to Majestic. Every day, over 30,000 people travel to Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) and the government is giving a lot of importance to improve connectivity to the airport but least importance is given to Majestic which is the core area," a DULT official said requesting anonymity.
The aim is to decongest traffic by identifying ideal locations to construct flyovers, pedestrian subways and skywalks. A request has been sent to agencies such as the city traffic police department, BMTC, KSRTC, Railways and Metro to send their inputs on the subject. Work on the DULT report has been going on for the last six months. Once completed, it will be presented to the government by year-end to show how travel time can be reduced by at least 10 minutes for commuters to Majestic.
The need to decongest Majestic area is all the more since underground work for the Metro on the 7.5-acre land in KSRTC bus stand is going to start soon.
In the meantime, experts said that instead of concentrating on Kempegowda bus stand, there is need to explore the possibility of making use of other areas as well for bus stations.
Speaking to DNA, CT Nayak, chief traffic warden and retired DCP traffic, said a permanent solution should be sought to ease traffic to Majestic.
The Kempegowda bus stand and KG Road up to the police quarters are jammed. All buses coming from Hudson Circle and KR Circle enter the bus stand directly from the heart of the city putting pressure on the main roads. To ease traffic here, a flyover from BMTC and KSRTC taluk office to police quarters should be constructed after Nrupathunga Road, Nayak said.
"The present road running opposite Mysore Bank Circle is wide enough. Thus, private vehicles can ply on this road and heavy duty vehicles can move on to the flyover. This will help buses on KG Road opposite Mysore Bank Circle run easily. This will also ease traffic movement in the surrounding areas," he said.
"It is important to decongest Sheshadri road and the Rajajinagar corridor up to Khoday junction. Both are blocked during peak hours. A proposal to construct a railway bridge at Khoday junction is pending with the government for long," he said.
There are two ways to decongest traffic: Construct flyovers or railway bridges. These proposals are pending with the government, but neither the BBMP nor the railway officials are taking interest. Another possible solution is to lessen the burden at Majestic by shifting some bus terminals to places on Mysore Road, Old Madras Road, Shantinagar and Tumkur Road.
Over the last three years, there has been a three-fold increase in BMTC and KSRTC bus traffic. To decongest traffic, BMTC is planning to construct a multi-storey facility for its vehicles. Thus, there is growing need to decentralise the movement of private vehicles, Nayak said.
Traffic expert MN Sreehari said that an integrated system would soon be coming up in the area to ease vehicular movement. He pointed out that once the Metro comes up, congestion will come down due to its alignment.
KSRTC bus stop is getting shifted to a different terminal and this will reduce the movement of outbound vehicles. DULT should further formulate measures to remove hawkers which will reduce the number of people in the bus stand, he said.
"Encroachment is an important issue which needs to be solved immediately. Better facilities for pedestrians should be created as they are finding it difficult in the absence of footpaths. This is the joint responsibility of the BBMP and the transport department," he said.

Minister admits flaws in tender, contract process

Minister admits flaws in tender, contract process

Sunitha Rao R. Bangalore



The city is all set to get a complete infrastructural makeover, but improper and incomplete surveys before beginning the works are further delaying projects.
One classical example of such laxity in pre-construction survey is that of the Kadirenahalli underpass. District in-charge minister R Ashok, who was inspecting the underpass construction work at the Puttenahalli-Kadirenahalli cross on Thursday said, "The underpass work has been delayed as the radar instrument did not detect a rock lying beneath the ground where the underpass is coming up. This rock can only be removed by blasting it, using a compressor. This is the reason for the delay in the work."
Ashok said that generally the contractor offering the lowest bid wins the project. However, the quality of work is compromised in most such cases.
Inspecting the slow progress of work on the Puttenahalli underpass, Ashok said, "The central government had given this Rs22 crore project to a contractor who, in turn, has handed it over to a sub-contractor. We wanted to blacklist the contractor but refrained from doing so as that would further delay work," Ashok said.
However, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has recovered the penalty from both contractors. While the contractor working on the Puttenahalli underpass has paid a penalty of Rs50 lakh, the contractor in-charge of the Kadirenahalli underpass has paid the civic body Rs75 lakh.
The BBMP has also started an initiative to remove all encroachments along stormwater drains. "The BBMP is following the rulebook and removing encroachments as per law. Neither Katta Subramanya Naidu nor I will interfere in this regard. BBMP commissioner Bharat Lal Meena has completely authority in removing such encroachments. Those who have encroached these lands must realise their mistake," Ashok said.
Ashok admitted that the construction works have been delayed because of improper monitoring. "From now onwards, the BBMP engineers will constantly monitor the works," said Ashok. He added that both the underpass construction works will be completed by January 2010.
Having learnt its lessons the hard way round, the BBMP is now planning to be more discrete when giving away contracts to its various ambitious projects amounting to Rs22,000 crore. "The projects will be given only to those contractors who have not been blacklisted in any part of the world and whose work is of international standard. All previous works will be considered before giving the contract," Ashok said.
When asked about the delay in the BBMP polls, Ashok said, "The government will submit the ward-wise reservation list for the BBMP elections in 10 days. The polls will be conducted in January 2010 with no more unnecessary delays.
He added that the civic body elections were delayed only because the previous governments showed no interest. "It has been just a-year-and-a-half since the BJP took over the reins of the state government and we are already keen on conducting the elections at the earliest," Ashok said.

Public wary of high-cost power

Public wary of high-cost power

FKCCI feels that the electricity regulatory commission should protect the interest of consumers

Senthalir S. Bangalore



Consumers and representatives of various organisations on Thursday requested the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) to ensure that they don't face the brunt of high-cost power purchase by electricity supply companies in the state.
The commission was hearing a case that dealt with the rate fixed by the government of Karnataka to purchase power from co-generation companies and biomass plants.
In an order dated January 27, 2009, the government had accorded approval for the electricity supply companies (ESCOMs) to purchase power from the co-generation and biomass plants at the rate of Rs6.50 and Rs5 per unit respectively for a period of five months, from January to May this year, subject to the approval by the commission.
M/S MPPL Renewable Energy private limited, which has a power purchase agreement with M/S Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd had filed a petition before the KERC seeking approval for the power purchase rate fixed by the government. The Escoms in Hubli, Gulbarga and Managalore separately requested the KERC to accord approval for payment of power purchase cost. Only when the counsel appearing for Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) and the government informed the KERC that the government will not bear the difference of cost of power specified in the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the commission decided to hear the consumers, stakeholders and others who will be affected by the matter.
The extra expenditure incurred by ESCOMs during January to May 2009 towards the purchase of power from co-generation and biomass plants amounted to Rs202.29 crore, with Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) incurring expenditure of Rs37.74 crore. "It is not fair to pass on the burden of extra expenditure incurred by the companies to the consumers. The companies should have approached the KERC before fixing the rate. The tariff fixed by the government in its order is higher than that mentioned in the PPA," said YV Ashwath Narayan of Consumer Care Society.
Stating that the commission should protect the interest of the consumers, MG Prabhakar, energy committee chairman, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI) said that the government had fixed the power purchase cost under Section 11(1) of Electricity Act. However, Section 11 (2) of the act states that the appropriate authority may offset the "adverse financial impact...". The regulation has already been framed.
Sathyanarayana Udupa, secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, stressed the interest of the farmers and said that the high-cost power should not burden them. Representatives from Laghu Udyog Bharati, Peenya Industries Association, and Consumer Rights Education and Awareness Trust also urged the commission to not burden consumers.

Devanahalli will solve city's woes

Devanahalli will solve city's woes

Realtors, experts are optimistic that Devanahalli will help decongest Bangalore as it develops into an alternate hub complete with all basic infrastructure and necessities

PK Surendran. Bangalore

Within a few years, peak hour morning traffic will head towards Devanahalli, bringing relief to a congested Bangalore. For years, urban development experts have been haunted by one question — how and where to develop a parallel city, as an alternate hub of life close by, to decongest Bangalore?
Devanahalli appears to be the answer to that question, and optimism abounds over developing this place into a sister city to Bangalore.
It may seem strange, but the infrastructure development in Devanahalli taluk and adjoining areas is running parallel to the investment commitments there; generally, the trend is infrastructure development as a precursor to investment flow. Such is the attraction that Devanahalli has mustered up among investors.
The Rs1.15 lakh crore of investment that is set to be pumped in to raise Devanahalli as a city, is expected to initially attract at least eight lakh people, which is set to kickstart the growth of this place to a full-blown city status. This, however, would require massive infrastructure in housing, water, roads and power.
"Some 48 infrastructure projects have been notified by the infrastructure development department, which should take care of the needs of this region," says commerce and industries department commissioner Rajpal Khatri. "I foresee no hurdles to the development of Bangalore north (which includes Devanahalli)," he says.

Digital meter to the rescue

Digital meter to the rescue


Following a protest by autorickshaw drivers, the state government made it optional for owners/drivers to change the colour of autos from the existing yellow and black to green and yellow.
Also, the transport department will go ahead with digital fare meters and four-stroke engines for all autorickshaws.
Transport minister R Ashoka told reporters here on Wednesday that the department, through change of colour, wanted to convey an environment-friendly message and reduce pollution. “Owners and drivers have opposed this decision, stating the move does not serve any purpose and only imposes a heavy
financial burden on them,’’ Ashoka said. The unions complained that drivers/owners have to spend Rs 15,000-20,000 to change the colour of an autorickshaw.
Four-stroke engines will reduce pollution, and also vibration, when the vehicle is moving, the minister said. Environment experts say that two-stroke engines are major contributors to air pollution in the city.
According to them, unless fourstroke engines are introduced in a mass scale to replace two-stroke ones, air pollution will increase manifold in some years. TNN

GPS on buses coming soon

GPS on buses coming soon
Bus Timings On Your Fingertips
Mini Joseph Tejaswi | TNN

Bangalore: Here’s a peace of information for commuters who are used to that ‘blind wait’ — without a clue on the arrival or departure schedule — for BMTC buses.
Keonics in association with Siemens Information Systems is running a pilot project for BMTC to introduce global positioning system (GPS) devices on its fleet. Around 200 buses and 20 bus shelters are going to be part of the project, which will start in a few weeks.
A GPS hardware device, which comes with powerful receiver, speaker, memory chip, GSM phone and GPRS technology, will sit on the windshield of a bus. The nearest telecom tower will locate the GPS device (the location of the bus), record the time and other details and in turn beam the information to a data centre situated on the BMTC office premises.
Analytics and algorithms are automatically prepared based on these data, and finally the centre sends bus arrival information to a GSMbased display panel at the bus shelter. The digital panel will flash route number, vehicle number, expected time of arrival, service type (ordinary or premium) and destination.
Also, if two buses are
heading towards the same point at a time, the traffic controller who monitors the fleet from BMTC can direct one of the drivers to stagger the vehicle a bit to avoid two buses reaching a shelter at the same time. Even a 3 to 5 minutes gap between two buses of the same route, can be of great help to commuters.
BMTC is also working on a Bus Information Display System, which will display information on all buses plying between the airport and destinations in the city.

High-speed rail project gets push from Reddy

High-speed rail project gets push from Reddy
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: With five consortia bidding for the Rs 3,700-crore high-speed rail link to the international airport, the on-again, off-again project has been green-lighted by tourism and infrastructure minister G Janardhana Reddy.
Five consortia — Reliance Infrastructure Ltd and CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Company Ltd; L&T Transco Ltd; Italian-Thai Development Public Co Ltd & ITD Cementation India Ltd; Pioneer Infratech Pvt Ltd & Siemens Project Ventures and Lanco Infratech Ltd & OHL Concesiones SL — are in the fray to build the rail link, which has been dogged by controversy. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is the consultant for concessioning process.
The process of Request for Qualification (RFQ) was done on October 3. Said Reddy: “I am the infrastructure development minister. I have made it clear the project is on.’’ V Madhu, principal secretary for infrastructure, said the order was passed a long time ago. “One set of tenders has been completed and the minister has instructed us to go ahead with the project.”
Asked about the progress of the project, Reddy said: “The process is on with Expression of Interest (EOI) and RFQ being done. Work will begin in a month’s time.’’
Reddy’s knock-out punch has come just when everybody thought the project was headed for the deep freezer. For, only on Friday, Capt Gopinath was booted out as head of the state government’s Infrastructure Vision Group for ostensibly being an articulate supporter of the project.
The rail link is opposed by ABIDe, an infrastructure advisory body to the government. Bangalore South MP Ananth Kumar is ABIDe vice-chairman and MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar its convener.
FACT BOX Route length: 33.65 km
Total estimated cost:
Rs 5,200 crore
Completion cost:
Rs 3,716 crore by March 2012
Train composition:
6 cars
Stations at: Cubbon Road, Hebbal, Yelahanka and BIA terminal
Travel time: 25 minutes, including halts at Hebbal and Yelahanka High Speed Rail chugs now Is Bangalore Seeing A Revolution In Transport? Several Innovations Are On The Cards
Bangalore: The Rs 3700-crore high speed rail link (HSRL) has been put on the fast track by tourism and infrastructure minister G Janardhana Reddy. It, however, has a history of being buffeted by strong pro and anti lobbies.
The government’s infrastructure vision group, which was until last week headed by captain Gopinath, is all in favour of it. By cutting down the commute time to the airport from the city to less than half hour, it has the ability to be a game changer to the economic landscape of the entire Bangalore north region especially Devanahalli and Yelahanka and the airport corridor, it says. The argument being that every big city, be it Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kaula Lumpur, London have direct, fast speed links to the airport from the city centre which result in economic multipliers far outweighing the initial heavy cost of construction.
Would captain Gopi be prepared to head the body again given the changed dynamics? He isn’t so sure. “The first time I agreed without any cynicism though it really takes away a lot of your time, because the city needs good infrastructure. There are too many pulls and pressures. If they ask me again, lets see.”
On the other hand, ABIDe Task Force, the state government’s infrastructure advisory body has been leading the opposition to the project. ABIDe, which favours a Metro link to the airport, on Wednesday said, “cost is an issue that needs to be considered before deciding on HSRL. The project cost has to be kept low to ensure affordable tariffs for the common citizen,” a premise upon which they think metro to be a cheaper option.It further said, “A Metro link to the airport will generate significant savings in support service costs, operations management, ticketing etc.”
HSRL has swung like a yo-yo for the last couple of years.The cabinet had approved it a while ago. However, following the objection of Abide, an independent consultant was brought in to study its feasibility. Eight months and Rs 9 crore later, the report submitted favoured the setting up HSRL. Following a presentation — based on the report — made by Janardhana Reddy to the cabinet, the latter again approved the project a couple of months ago.
But the sudden instability that hit the BJP government threw a spanner in the works and the project looked headed for a quick burial when captain Gopinath was summarily removed as head of the vision group for publicly championing the cause of the rail link. And now, even before the ink could dry on the patch-up between the CM and the Reddy brothers, the project is back.
“I’m happy the government is going ahead with the project. I hope that the government acts with determination, that it marches in one step. I hope the selection of bidders will be done with speed and transparency. It is not important whether I am there or not. All of us can only advise the government. But it’s the government which has to decide,” captain Gopinath explained.
ABIDe was rather circumspect in its comments on Wednesday, with Chandrasekhar saying the issue is improving connectivity between Bangalore and the airport; ABIDe is evaluating ways of ensuring that.
FEATURES OF HIGH SPEED RAIL TO BIA DESIGN SPEED: 160 kmph OPERATIONAL SPEED: 145 kmph AVERAGE SPEED: 85 kmph SEATING ARRANGEMENT: Transverse CAPACITY OF 6 CAR UNIT - 421 passengers CLASS OF ACCOMMODATION - one FARE COLLECTION: Automatic fare collection system

Size matters, but buses

Size matters, but buses

With over 35 lakh vehicles of all sizes and shapes plying on Bangalore’s roads, Bangalore Mirror asked regular road-users — a BMTC bus driver, an autorickshaw driver, a car owner and a motorcyclist — as to who the `Big Bully’ on the road is. Well, as expected, the replies only triggered a blame game with each person accusing the other for all the things that go wrong on the road Life and death Illogical traffic restrictions and vehicles refusing to give way make the city’s ambulance drivers’ lot a totally unenviable one BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU
Bangalore Mirror spoke to ambulance drivers in the city to find out the problems they face in this respect.
All of them rued it is extremely difficult to bring patients to a hospital within the ‘golden hour’. Sometimes, even reaching the nearest hospital is not enough as the hospital may not have all the facilities and the patient has to be taken to a specialty hospital.
Those who drive their own cars do not give way for the ambulances most of the time. They play music at high volume and raise all the window panes of the car and just be in their own world— Santosh Kumar, a driver of the 108 ambulance.


BMTC BUSES IN CITY
5,600 DRIVER C K MONNAPPA
Profile: Working for BMTC, won a silver medal for best
driving. Driving experience: 27 years
Driving a bus in the city is definitely no easy job these days. When I joined state transport corporation, there were hardly 700 buses. Now, there are more than 5,000 buses in the city. But what has compounded the problem for the city is the rapid increase in other vehicles and lack of road etiquette. The worst of the lot are cars and autorickshaw drivers. The car drivers are of two types in the city: those driving cabs for callcentres and those driving their private cars. While call-centre cabs drive recklessly, those in their own cars either drive at slow speeds right in the middle of the road or swerve to the sides as they wish. The common thread between them is both feel that they own the road.
If, by chance, the bus brushes against the car or an autorickshaw, it is always the `bigvehicle’s mistake’ syndrome that works and we are at the receiving end. This is more so in accidents involving twowheelers. Even the traffic police blame us.
The changing attitude of the drivers of smaller vehicles is a disturbing phenomenon. While BMTC drivers rarely honk, the car and two-wheeler owners use all kinds of shrill horns and keep honking even when the road is relatively less crowded. Another issue pertains to patience-level among road-users: Everyone wants to overtake buses and in the process ends up causing traffic snarls. For a trip we usually get 45 minutes, but due to heavy traffic jam on the roads, it takes us nearly 90 minutes to complete a trip. We spend nearly ten hours in traffic every day and the pressure on us is very high.



CARS IN CITY
5.4 LAKH CAR OWNER DR H RAMAKRISHNAIAH
Profile: Head, Department of Biotechnology,
Government Science College.
Driving experience: 20 years
The most reckless in the traffic hierarchy are the yellow board cabs and autorickshaws. They drive without any traffic sense. They don't even keep one inch distance from the other cars and come dangerously close. Moreover what adds to the irritation is that they all seem to have this multiple horn which adds to the noise pollution. Maybe it’s their way of warning others to get out of their way and interestingly you are expected to make way for them because you are so scared that they might actually end up hitting you. I can understand that they may have time constraints but they should not put others’ lives at risk. Autorickshaws come a close second. Sometimes there is hardly enough space on the left side, but the autos just seem to squeeze themselves in. In fact, they don't even respect pedestrians who would be trying to cross the road.
Of course, BMTC buses will obviously feature in the list. They don't seem to care much about the rules; especially early in the morning when they drive recklessly.
Moreover, they don't even stop at the bus stops, they park either much before or after that. Sometimes they break the rule right in front of the cops, but still no action is taken.
Finally I would say that it all boils down to the citizens who are supposed to have some civic and traffic sense. When they try to break the signal then it’s okay, but when others emulate the same they get annoyed; this is hypocrisy. Obedience to traffic rules should be
inculcated among
all citizens.



AUTOS IN CITY
1.05 LAKH AUTORICKSHAW DRIVER RUDRAMURTHY
Profile: A resident of Yeshwanthpur. Has his own auto. Driving experience: 15 years
Ihave been driving on the roads of Bangalore for the past 15 years now. A decade ago the traffic on the road was manageable and nobody had any p r o b l e m s . But then the two-wheelers kept on increasing. They have not only added to the traffic problems of the city but are often responsible for many accidents. They are the most reckless motorists on the road today; no sense of direction and always in a hurry. They overtake from the wrong side and have no knowledge about lane discipline. Even if
they find little space between vehicles, they try to squeeze in. If that isn't enough, they also keep honking at the traffic signals for no reason, even when the signal is red. Among college kids riding motorcycles, there is also the craze for speed racing. A recent incident has made me hate them even more. I was riding in
Malleshwaram 17th Cross and a two-wheeler rider came from the wrong side and bumped into my auto. He did not even stop and apologise. He just rode away. The dent is still there on my auto. They should be taken to task by the traffic police and dealt with more seriously.






TWO WHEELERS 24
LAKH MOTORCYCLIST ADARSH SRIVASTAVA
Profile: Works for Toshiba.
Riding experience: 3 years
The major problem that I face while riding is from pedestrians especially in the fast lanes like the Inner and Outer Ring Roads. In these roads, everyone will be riding very fast and we also have to look out for jaywalkers. People jumping the medians without caring about the plying vehicles are another irritant. Moreover, there are no proper zebra lines at regular intervals. At least their presence will enable us to slow down. Presently, we have no option but to apply sudden brakes when forced to. And when we do so, our bikes skid and in turn we get injured.
One such incident occurred while I was commuting on Inner Ring Road and suddenly someone came in front of me. I was forced to apply brakes, and ended up skidding with my bike. Caught by surprise, a car which was following me at high speed rammed into my bike. Thankfully, nothing happened to me. One dangerous skid as this can be a cause for many problems.
This apart, the greatest fear of a two-wheeler rider is of the BMTC bus.



Suhas Gopinath
The 22-year-old CEO of Globals Inc.



Expert opinion Awareness is the key
Traffic management in Bangalore must use more technology and drivers should consider signals sacrosanct
Only a few signals use a ‘flash’ to note the number plate of the erring vehicle. Unfortunately, in Bangalore, such apparatus is used only on MG Road. However, I think this approach should be replicated eveywhere throughout the city at all busy traffic junctions. That way, an awareness will be created among people not to skip traffic lights because there is the fear factor of being noted through the system.
SPEAK TO DRIVERS
We have to start an awareness campaign such as the ones that have been carried out in Mumbai. To bring more awareness among people in Mumbai, people have set aside ‘days’ such as a ‘No Honk Day’.
I also think that we should speak to representatives of autorickshaw associations and try to tell them why they should believe in lane discipline and why they should respect rules. We can tell them that if you hit someone, it could be someone from your own family. There is so much lack of awareness among them
that I sometimes feel sorry for them.
BASELESS LOGIC
At one traffic junction where the light was red,
in Bangalore, I was once talking to the driver of the vehicle I was in. He was honking continuously. When I asked him why he required to keep honking, he replied that honking that way would make drivers of vehicles before him move faster. I think that is some baseless logic.
POLICE ROLE
The police has a role too. They could organise workshops and start initiatives for the BMTC drivers to bring about greater awareness about traffic and safety issues. Also, they must look at using technology in traffic management as has been done in places such as Singapore and Europe. For instance, why not look at installing cameras that will monitor traffic and note offenders? Also, updates and information should be made available on multiple media such as newspapers, and mobile phones. Radios have been used in Bangalore for trafic updates but that medium should be complemented with others as well. They can tell people how to get from point A to point B and if that route is congested, suggest an alternative.



AUTO-CONTROL



Every day, on an average, I shift around five to six patients. The major problem is caused by the autorickshaw drivers. Even when the siren is on they don’t bother to give way. We have to adjust and go, that is the situation. Every month, one or two cases with severe injuries die on the way to the hospital
—Srinivasan,
a driver with a private ambulance



The major problem that we face while bringing patients from accident spots is that in many places there are so many traffic restrictions. In many places we lose time because there is no free left or right turn. Even the ambulances are not excused
—R Linga Kumar, an ambulance driver with Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics



Even in front of Nimhans if we are coming from Double Road we cannot take a right turn. We have to go till Dairy Circle and come back. In accident cases every minute is precious
—Shivanna, a driver with Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics

DON’T YOU CONSIDER THIS A POTHOLE, MR COMMISSIONER?

DON’T YOU CONSIDER THIS A POTHOLE, MR COMMISSIONER?
P MUTHU & MANASI PARESH KUMAR


The BBMP recently conducted a survey and said that there were 7,258 potholes on the city’s roads. More importantly, they said all these potholes would be filled up within a fortnight.
Common sense dictates that the bigger and more dangerous ones are covered first. But right in front of the 6th block Rajajinagar bus stop, there is this hole, almost half-a-feet-wide and three feet deep. It could seriously injure an adult and prove fatal for a child who accidentally steps into it. Even motorists are at risk.
What makes this hole even more dangerous is that it is only a few meters away from the bus stop where about 100 schoolchildren catch their bus every day. There are about five schools in the vicinity including Lal Bahadur Shastry Memorial School, St Annes, St Meeras and the government school at the Police Quarters. Students from all of them come to this bus stand.
For some reason the BBMP has chosen not to cover this hole. The best it has done is to line its perimeter with a small amount of bitumen. They filled up all the potholes on the road and yet this one was left behind, said Kanadasa, a mechanic who runs a garage on the road.

Rs40 cr to improve traffic management in the city

Rs40 cr to improve traffic management in the city

Hemanth Kumar. Bangalore



The state cabinet on Wednesday approved a grant of Rs40 crore to improve traffic management in Bangalore. This comes in the wake of the enormous increase in vehicles on city roads.
The funds will be utilised for building bus bays, synchronising traffic signals, constructing sky walks and improving footpaths.
The cabinet has also approved Rs7.57 crore for the construction new retaining walls for storm water drains; this amount will also go into improvement of the drains in the Hebbal valley.
There is happy news for state government employees who have joined services after April 1, 2006: the government has decided to extend the pension scheme to them too. The pension scheme, which was discontinued from 2006, would be reintroduced, Home minister VS Acharya said, briefing the media about cabinet decisions.
"The deduction for the pension scheme will be 10% of the salary. Employees have the option of increasing their contribution too. The state government would make a matching contribution. The amount would be deposited with the Pension Endowment Fund of the union government for management. The employees will also have the option of making a consolidated contribution for the fund to cover the past three years," Acharya said.
Proposal to purchase 6.70 lakh bicycles for students who have enrolled for 8th standard for 2009-10 academic year has been approved by the cabinet. The cycles are being purchased at a price of Rs2,390 per cycle. This would thus entail an expenditure of Rs145 crore on this project. "The price being paid is Rs120 less than what the Tamil Nadu government had paid under a similar scheme in that state," Acharya claimed.
However, the students who are studying in residential schools and those who have availed student bus pass will not be eligible for the free bicycle.
Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi will get a plush annexe building with all the amenities for providing accommodation facilities for the VIPs visiting the national capital from Karnataka. The cabinet on Wednesday granted Rs15 crore for this purpose.
A by-pass link road connecting Srirangapatna-Jewargi national highway with the state highway-19 will also be taken up, at an expenditure of Rs14.22 crore.

If you want to decongest roads, start thinking of tomorrow

If you want to decongest roads, start thinking of tomorrow

Just what is Project Bangalore? It is an attempt by DNA to look at Bangalore's key concerns and focus on outcomes instead of highlighting problems

Traffic snarls have become a major cause for worry. A rapid increase in vehicular traffic, lack of traffic sense among commuters, haphazardly parked vehicles and erratic movements of pedestrians are further adding to the pressure. But Team DNA finds that there are solutions



Consider these real-life cases highlighting the pathetic traffic situation in Bangalore.

G Mahadevan, Mechanical engineer
He arrived in the city by an evening flight from Mumbai, and found to his utter disappointment that the time taken to reach his destination in Jayanagar was more than the 80-minute flight duration from Mumbai to Bangalore. And the delay was not due to the 35 km distance between Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) and the city, but the choking points within the city itself.

Sachin Louis, Software engineer
This twenty four-year-old, working with an IT giant, almost lost his job when he reached an hour late for a client call at office. "There were people waiting for me, the call got delayed, it was an embarrassing situation, but I couldn't do much in the traffic," says Louis. "The number of vehicles on the city roads is far more than what the roads can handle."

Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Dancer
For her, it's a common thing to have butterflies in her stomach while catching a flight. She once missed her flight due to a severe traffic jam, and ever since it's a nightmare for her, expecting to miss a flight. "It is never a comfortable feeling when you go from anywhere to anywhere in Bangalore, and it is all because of the traffic congestion."

It is not surprising that during peak hours Bangalore traffic can be one of the meanest things to happen to motorists and commuters alike.
Why is this happening? What are the solutions before us to ensure that we have free-flowing traffic that could ensure people reaching their destinations as planned, and on time?
Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Praveen Sood feels the current Bangalore traffic scene is like pouring 2-3 buckets of water in a single bucket. According to the city traffic department, the number of vehicles on Bangalore roads is growing at an annual rate of 7-10 per cent, reducing peak-hour travel speeds to as low as 15 km/hr.
The numbers tell a startling tale. Bangalore has 4,500 km of pliable roads, with a capacity to handle about 8 lakh vehicles. Instead, there are close to 33 lakh vehicles on the roads – more than four times the capacity.
A telling factor causing this disturbing explosive growth is this: "There are almost 3.5 lakh vehicles registered in Bangalore every year, which is about 1,250 vehicles every day. But the infrastructure remains the same," explains MN Sreehari, chairman, Traffic Engineers and Safety Trainers (TEST), and advisor to government of Karnataka for traffic, transport and infrastructure. "The traffic problem in the city is due to this uncontrolled growth of vehicle population and the lack of infrastructure to support it only compounds the situation," he adds. There is just one thing that impresses on all: Bangalore is not geared up for heavy traffic.Worse, even motorists rampantly violate the traffic rules, making the situation worse.
"There are only 10 per cent of motorists in Bangalore who follow rules, the rest 90 per cent do not, which is a huge task," points out traffic top cop Sood. It is a bad situation that the traffic police are acutely understaffed with just 2,000 to handle a vehicle population of 33 lakh in the city.
"Also, during heavy rains and processions there are severe traffic jams, and when people violate laws at these times we are not able to reprimand people as we have to manage the traffic flow," he says.
Sivram Lakshmi-narayan, a public relations executive, agrees that most motorists do not follow traffic rules. "People drive rashly, cut lanes, and there is no traffic discipline. So, before blaming the government and the authorities, the motorists have to start following the rules," he says.
It is not as if Bangaloreans have not tried anything to solve the traffic congestion problem. Car pooling has been tried out. Some are able to carry on with this initiative of sharing one employee's car to reach office and return home from work. But various problems bug this initiative, one being the over-dependence on someone else's mode of transport.
A Mumbai-based businessman, Vishwajeet Joshi, says he always finds it difficult to be punctual for his appointments in Bangalore, but it is extremely convenient to do so in Mumbai, despite that city having a much higher population density with a higher degree of congestion.
"Mumbai has a robust public transport system; they have trains that help most people commute. In Bangalore, we don't have that kind of public transport. So the city's public transport needs to be improved to ease the traffic problem," explains Sood. The only solution therefore is to provide a relevant alternative to force private vehicle owners to public transport – mass transport systems.
"Shifting to public transport would not only decongest the city roads, but would also reduce the number of traffic violations significantly," feels Sood.
Sreehari feels optimistic. He says, "Bangalore can expect better traffic conditions in the next three years as work has started to improve the situation, and in the long run people will have a smoother ride."
The stress would be on infrastructure development, which would override the shortage of traffic policemen on the roads.
As Sood says, "We can increase the number of traffic policemen from about 2,000 to 5,000 but that does not improve the infrastructure. To improve the traffic situation in the city all the agencies have to work together and find a feasible solution; only increasing manpower is not going to help."
A bitter pill of promise
The present works across the city are perceived as a bitter pill that would treat the city's traffic ills.
"The interim period for the next two years will be difficult. There is work happening across the city, flyovers are being constructed, the Metro project is underway, so on many roads in the city, four lanes are being crunched into two lanes," says Sood. "But all this is for a better future. There are eight flyovers being constructed at the same time on the Outer Ring Road, so traffic is diverted. But once these flyovers are operational it will be a smooth drive. All these infrastructure enhancements will have to be done sometime for the city, it is being done now and in the next few years the people will be able to enjoy its fruits." He has a piece of advice for Bangaloreans: "People should accept that problems they face today are short-term ones, and once all the projects are completed, these issues will no longer persist."

BBMP plays ‘poster boy’

BBMP plays ‘poster boy’

November 12th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Tags: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC)


Bengaluru, Nov. 11: Ugly posters defacing walls in the city could soon be a thing of the past as the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) has requested Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which was threatening to take action against one of its producers for defacing public property, to allot it space in the city for displaying film posters for a fee. BBMP has been receptive to the idea and has begun the process of identifying suitable locations for them.
While the film industry thrives on publicity to draw audiences to the theatres and relies hugely on posters for this, walls in the city have been defaced for years in the process in defiance of the provisions of the Karnataka Open Place (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act 1981. BBMP recently filed a complaint against a producer for violating the law in question, prompting KFCC chairperson Jayamala to write to it in response suggesting that producers should be allotted around a 1,000 hoardings where they can display their posters and promote their films.
“We have requested BBMP to allot space in all wards for displaying the advertisements for a nominal fee. We have received a positive response from BBMP which has promised to provide the required hoardings,” Ms Jayamala said. BBMP joint commissioner (West) V.P. Ikkeri acknowledged that the KFCC had requested allotment of hoardings for film posters and said suitable locations will be identified for them with the help of revenue and engineering officials before allowing them to be erected. “Usually, such hoardings are displayed at the end of footpaths and at road corners, so that neither pedestrians nor vehicles are hampered,” he explained. The KFCC too has formed a panel of its members to identify suitable locations for the film hoardings. Mr Ikkeri said the advertisement fee will be worked out on an annual basis and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be entered into with the KFCC to cement the agreement on the hoardings, which will help keep the walls of both private and public properties free of posters in the city.
“Not only will this keep the city clean, but BBMP will also be able to earn revenue from the posters displayed,” he pointed out.

No need to paint autos green: Minister

No need to paint autos green: Minister
Bangalore, Nov 11, DH News Service:

The transport department has relaxed the rules that had made it mandatory for all autorickshaws in Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits to change their lower section’s black colour to green.


Addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday, Transport Minister R Ashok said two other conditions imposed by the transport department, that all autorickshaws should install digital meters and new permits would be issued only for autos with four stroke engine would remain.

“The compromise is only on painting the auto green, which has now been made optional. However, installation of digital meters is compulsory. Fitness certificates will not be renewed if mechanical meters are not replaced by digital meters,” Ashok said. Last month, auto drivers had gone on a strike in protest against the government’s decision.

Ashok said digital meters had been made compulsory to ensure meters are tamper-free and that passengers are not harassed.

The minister said the State has sought the grants to the tune of Rs five crore from the Union government for establishing a centre at Nelamangala for issuing fitness certificate to vehicles. Five acre land has already been identified for the centre, he said.

The government is also planning to set up a driving training centre at Yelahanka at a cost of Rs 25 crore, he added.

Get driving licence at your doorstep

Get driving licence at your doorstep

Special Correspondent
Transport Department, India Post ink pact for the new initiative
Move will check the menace of middlemen

Fitness certificate centre to be set up

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

On the fast track: Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao (second from left) and Chief Postmaster-General M.P. Rajan exchanging the MoU on the launch of the Speed Post service in Bangalore on Wednesday as Transport Minister R. Ashok and Secretary, Transport Department M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda look on.
Bangalore: The Transport Department and India Post have signed a memorandum of understanding for launching Speed Post service to deliver smart card-based driving licences (DLs) and registration certificates (RCs) on the doorsteps of applicants.

Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao and India Post Chief Postmaster-General M.P. Rajan signed the agreement in the presence of Transport Minister R. Ashok here on Wednesday.

The initiative would help check the menace of middlemen at the RTOs and ensure transparency in the issue of driving licences and registration certificates to applicants. The Transport Department would collect stamped self-addressed covers from applicants/owners of the vehicles while receiving applications. The covers containing the documents would be provided to the Postal Department. The Postal Department would deliver the covers to the persons concerned in two days.

Mr. Ashok said there were 85 lakh vehicles in the State. Of them, 35 lakh vehicles were registered in Bangalore alone. “From now on, the applicant need not again go to the RTO to collect his DL or RC,” he said. There are 55 RTOs in the State.

The Minister said a fitness certificate centre for vehicles would be set up on 5.5 acres at Nelamangala at a cost of Rs. 15 crore. The centre would be established in collaboration with the Central Government. The department had submitted a proposal to the Centre seeking funds to establish it, he added.

A training centre would be set up at a cost of Rs. 25 crore at Yelahanka in the city for providing training in driving all kinds of vehicles. A proposal had been submitted to the Centre. Besides, a KSRTC training centre and another centre to impart driving skills, both in Hassan, would be set up in collaboration with the All-India Transport Federation, he said.

The department had proposed to install “weigh-in-motion” (WIM) bridges to check overloading of trucks at 18 places, including Bellary, in the State. WIM bridges would be installed, especially in places where there was heavy movement of overloaded ore-laden trucks. The technology would help transport inspectors to identify overloaded trucks while in motion on the bridge. The overloaded trucks were not only causing revenue loss but also damaging roads. Only the Gujarat Government had introduced this facility so far, Mr. Ashok added.